CREATION  MYTHS 

OF 

PRIMITIVE  AMERICA 


IN    RELATION    TO 


The  Religious  History  and  Mental  Develop 
ment  of  Mankind 


BY 


JEREMIAH    CURTIN 

Author  of  "  Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland,"  "  Myths  and 
Tales  of  the  Russians,  Western  Slavs,  Vid-'Magyars," 
«  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland,"  etc. 


iTE 


BOSTON 
LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND   COMPANY 

1898 


Copyright,  1898 
BY  JEREMIAH  CURTIN 


All  rights  reserved 


JOHN  WILSON  AND  SON,  CAMBRIDGE,  U.S.A. 


DEDICATION 


To 

MAJOR  J.  W.  POWELL, 

Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology  ^  Smithsonian  Institution^ 
LL.D.  of  Harvard  and  Heidelberg  : 

SIR,  —  You  lost  your  right  hand  in  fighting  to  save  American 
unity  ;  but  though  the  hand  went  from  you  its  cunning  remained, 
with  the  power  to  plan  and  to  execute. 

The  same  kind  of  impulse  that  sent  you  to  the  field  of  battle 
to  serve  the  country  and  the  world,  sent  you  to  the  field  of 
science  to  serve  as  a  geologist  and  an  explorer  in  the  majestic 
region  of  the  Colorado,  and  finally  brought  you  to  found  the  Bureau 
of  Ethnology.  Through  your  labors,  combined  with  those  of  the 
men  whom  you  have  associated  with  you,  the  world  has  learned 
more  of  the  great  primitive  race  of  our  country  than  it  learned 
from  the  discovery  of  the  continent  till  the  day  when  the  Bureau 
was  founded. 

I  beg  to  inscribe  this  book  to  you  as  a  mark  of  my  respect 
and  friendship. 

JEREMIAH   CURTIN. 

STEAMER  "GERMANIC," 

ON  THE  MID-ATLANTIC  OCEAN, 

October  21,  1898. 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION 


OLELBIS  AND  MEM  LOIMIS     ..........        J 

NORWAN  ............... 

TuLCHUHERRIS  .       '  ...........         I  ;.; 

SEDIT  AND  THE  Two  BROTHERS  Hus     .      .      ..... 

HAWT       ...............      f9 

NORWANCHAKUS  AND  KERIHA       ......... 

j|p»  I/KELE  AND  SEDIT  .............      2.1 

KOI.  TIBICHI    ..............      20 

THE  WINNING  OF  HALAI  AUNA  AT  THE  HOUSE  OF  TUINA     .      2* 
THE  HAKAS  AND  THE  TENNAS     ......... 

ILHATAINA     .............. 

HlTCHINNA        .............        ,       J2 

TlRUKALA  ............... 

SUKONLA'S  WIVES  AND  THE  ICHPUL  SISTERS       ..... 

THE  FINDING  OF  FIRE      ...........      3-- 

HAKA  KAINA  .............. 


viii  Contents 


PAGE 
TLTINDI  MAUPA  AND  PAIOWA,  THE  YOUNGEST  DAUGHTER  OF 

\\AKARA 389 

THE  Two  SISTERS,  HAKA  LASI  AND  TSORE  JOWA  .  „  .  .  407 
THE  DREAM  OF  JUIWAIYU  AND  HIS  JOURNEY  TO  DAMHAUJA'S 

COUNTRY 425 

THE  FLIGHT  OF  TSANUNEWA  AND  DEFEAT  OF  HEHKU  .  .  445 
THE  FIRST  BATTLE  IN  THE  WORLD  AND  THE  MAKING  OF  THE 

YANA 467 


NOTES,  AND  NAMES  OF  PLACES 487 


INTRODUCTION 

9 

THE  creation  myths  of  America  form  a  com 
plete  system ;  they  give  a  detailed  and  cir 
cumstantial  account  of  the  origin  of  this  world  and 
of  all  things  and  creatures  contained  in  it.  In  the 
course  of  the  various  narratives  which  compose  this 
myth  system  an  earlier  world  is  described  to  us, 
with  an  order  of  existence  and  a  method  of  conduct 
on  which  the  life  of  primitive  man  in  America  was 
patterned. 

That  earlier  world  had  two  periods  of  duration,  — 
one  of  complete  and  perfect  harmony ;  another  of 
violence,  collision,  and  conflict.  The  result  and 
outcome  of  the  second  period  was  the  creation  of 
all  that  is  animated  on  earth  except  man.  Man,  in 
the  American  scheme  of  creation,  stands  apart  and 
separate ;  he  is  quite  alone,  peculiar,  and  special. 
Above  all,  he  belongs  to  this  continent.  The 
white  man  was  unknown  to  American  myth-makers, 
as  were  also  men  of  every  other  race  and  of  every 
region  outside  of  the  Western  Hemisphere. 

Described  briefly  and  by  an  Indian,  the  American 
myth  system  is  as  follows :  "  There  was  a  world 
before  this  one  in  which  we  are  living  at  present ; 
that  was  the  won  )f  the  first  people,  who  were  dif- 


xii  Introduction 


ferent  from  us  altogether.  Those  people  were  very 
numerous,  so  numerous  that  if  a  count  could  be 
made  of  all  the  stars  in  the  sky,  all  the  feathers  on 
birds,  all  the  hairs  and  fur  on  animals,  all  the  hairs 
of  our  own  heads,  they  would  not  be  so  numerous 
as  the  first  people." 

These  people  lived  very  long  in  peace,  in  con 
cord,  in  harmony,  in  happiness.  No  man  knows, 
no  man  can  tell,  how  long  they  lived  in  that  way.  At 
last  the  minds  of  all  except  a  very  small  number 
were  changed  ;  they  fell  into  conflict,  —  one  offended 
another  consciously  or  unconsciously,  one  injured 
another  with  or  without  intention,  one  wanted  some 
special  thing,  another  wanted  that  very  thing  also. 
Conflict  set  in,  and  because  of  this  came  a  time  of 
activity  and  struggle,  to  which  there  was  no  end  or 
stop  till  the  great  majority  of  the  first  people  —  that 
is,  all  except  a  small  number  —  were  turned  into  the 
various  kinds  of  living  creatures  that  are  on  earth 
now  or  have  ever  been  on  earth,  except  man,  — 
that  is,  all  kinds  of  beasts,  birds,  reptiles,  fish, 
worms,  and  insects,  as  well  as  trees,  plants,  grasses, 
rocks,  and  some  mountains ;  they  were  turned  into 
everything  that  we  see  on  the  earth  or  in  the  sky. 

That  small  number  of  the  former  people  who  did 
not  quarrel,  those  great  first  people  of  the  old  time 
who  remained  of  one  mind  and  harmonious,  "  left  the 
earth,  sailed  away  westward,  passed  that  line  where 
the  sky  comes  down  to  the  earth  and  touches  it, 
sailed  to  places  beyond ;  stayed  there  or  withdrew 
to  upper  regions  and  lived  in  the 


Introduction  xiii 


agreement,  live  so  to-day,  and  will  live  in  the  same 
way  hereafter." 

The  American  system,  as  we  see,  begins  with  an  un 
known  great,  indefinite  number  of  uncreated  beings, 
—  in  other  words,  of  self-existent  personages  or 
divinities.  Those  divinities  were  everything  at  first ; 
there  was  nothing  except  them,  nothing  aside  from 
them,  nothing  beyond  them.  They  existed  un 
changed  through  untold  periods,  or  rather  through 
a  duration  which  would  be  periods  were  there  a 
measure  by  which  to  divide  it.  They  lived  side  by 
side  in  perfect  concord,  in  the  repose  of  a  primeval 
chaos  of  quiescent  mind  which  presents  a  most  re 
markable  analogy  with  the  attenuated,  quiescent, 
undifferentiated  matter  which,  according  to  the  neb 
ular  hypothesis,  filled  all  points  of  space  in  the 
physical  universe  before  the  first  impulse  of  motion 
was  given  to  it. 

At  last  this  long  period  is  ended,  there  is  mental 
difference  among  most  of  the  first  people,  charac 
ter  is  evolved  and  has  become  evident;  rivalries, 
collisions,  and  conflicts  begin. 

The  American  creation  myths,  as  far  as  we  know 
them,  form  simply  a  series  of  accounts  of  the  con 
flicts,  happenings,  and  various  methods  by  which  the 
first  world  was  changed  into  the  world  now  existing. 
This  change  was  effected  in  various  ways.  In  the 
myths  of  certain  tribes  or  nations,  it  is  mainly  by 
struggles  between  hostile  personages.  One  god  of 
great  power  and  character  overcomes  a  vast  number 
of  opponents,  and  changes  each  into  some  beast, 


xiv  Introduction 


bird,  plant,  or  insect ;  but  always  the  resultant  beast 
or  other  creature  corresponds  in  some  power  of 
mind  or  in  some  leading  quality  of  character  with 
the  god  from  whose  position  it  has  fallen.  In  cer 
tain  single  cases  opponents  are  closely  matched,  they 
are  nearly  equal  in  combat ;  the  struggle  between 
them  is  long,  uncertain,  and  difficult.  At  last,  when 
one  side  is  triumphant,  the  victor  says,  "  Here 
after  you  will  be  nothing  but  a "  ;  and  he  tells 

what  the  vanquished  is  to  be.  But  at  this  point  the 
vanquished  turns  on  the  victor  and  sends  his  retort 
like  a  Parthian  arrow,  "  You  will  be  nothing  but 

a "  ;  and  he  declares  what  his  enemy  is  to  be. 

The  metamorphosis  takes  place  immediately  on 
both  sides,  and  each  departs  in  the  form  which  the 
enemy  seemed  to  impose,  but  which  really  belonged 
to  him. 

There    are    cases   in  which    the  hero   transforms 
numerous  and  mighty  enemies  indirectly  through  a 
special  wish  which   he  possesses.     For  example,  a 
^  certain  myth  hero  brings  it  about  that  a  large  com 
pany  of  the  first  people  are  invited  to  a  feast,  and 
5      while  all  are  eating  with  great  relish   he   slips  out 
.    unnoted,  walks   around    the    house,  and  utters,  as 
he  goes,  the  magic  formula  :  "  I  wish  the  walls  of 
this  house  to  be  flint,  the  roof  also."     Next  moment 
the  whole  house  is  flint-walled,  the  roof  is  flint  also. 
After  that  he  says,  "  I  wish  this'  house  to  be  red- 
hot."     It    is    red-hot    immediately.     His    enemies 
inside    are   in    a    dreadful    predicament ;    they  rush 
about  wildly,  they  roar,  they  look  for  an  opening ; 


Introduction  xv 


there  is  none,  they  see  no  escape,  they  find  no  issue. 
Their  heads  burst  from  heat.  Out  of  one  head 
springs  an  owl,  and  flies  away  through  the  smoke- 
hole;  out  of  another  a  buzzard,  which  escapes 
through  the  same  place;  out  of  the  third  comes  a 
hawk,  which  follows  fhe  other  two  ;  out  of  a  fourth 
some  other  bird.  Thus  the  action  continues  till 
every  head  in  the  flint  house  bursts  open  and  lets 
out  its  occupant.  All  fly  away,  and  thus  the  whole 
company  is  metamorphosed.  Each  turns  into  that 
which  his  qualities  called  for,  which  his  nature  de 
manded  ;  he  becomes  outwardly  and  visibly  that 
which  before  he  had  been  internally  and  in  secret. 

The  hero  in  the  above  case  could  not  wish  his 
opponents  metamorphosed  directly,  he  could  not  wish 
this  whenever  he  pleased  or  wherever  he  met  the 
great  company ;  he  had  to  induce  them  to  enter  the 
house,  which  he  turned  by  his  wish  into  flint  and 
then  heated.  When  the  moment  of  terrible  anguish 
came  on  them,  the  true  nature  of  each  of  those 
people  grew  evident ;  each  head  burst  open,  and  out 
sprang  the  real  person. 

All  those  of  the  first  people  whose  minds  had 
been  modified,  who,  so  to  speak,  had  grown  special 
ized  internally,  who  were  different  from  that  which 
they  had  been  to  start  with,  were  forced  to  change 
also  externally,  and  could  not  escape  or  avoid  that 
great  power  whose  shadow  was  approaching ;  their 
destiny  was  on  them,  and  they  felt  it. 

In  the  Wintu  system,  one  of  the  two  which  are 
set  forth  in  this  volume,  nearly  all  changes  were 


xvi  Introduction 


effected  by  Olelbis  ;  but  there  are  examples  of  agents 
with  other  means.  Tulchuherris  turns  old  Tichelis 
into  a  ground-squirrel  at  the  climax  of  his  perfidy. 
He  changes  Hawt,  the  porter  at  the  dangerous  river, 
into  a  lamprey  eel,  whose  children  are  to  be  eaten 
by  Indians  in  the  future.  Old  Sas,  the  false  and 
vain  chief  in  Saskewil,  is  beaten  by  his  son-in-law, 
and  receives  his  present  form  of  sun  and  moon,  at 
the  end  of  a  long  and  bitter  struggle,  in  which 
strength,  wit,  and  keenness  use  the  very  last  of  their 
resources. 

There  are  cases  in  which  some  of  the  first  people 
are  so  modified  mentally  that  they  are  conscious  of 
what  has  happened  within  them.  They  are  ready 
for  the  change,  they  are  willing  to  undergo  it ;  but 
there  is  no  immediate  occasion,  no  impending 
struggle  in  which  an  opponent  could  have  the 
chance  to  transform  them.  These  people  transform 
themselves  by  the  utterance  of  a  wish,  and  produce 
their  own  metamorphoses.  There  are  still  others 
who  know,  as  do  all,  that  a  new  race  is  coming, 
that  they  will  be  changed  when  it  comes  unless 
they  are  changed  some  time  earlier.  They  know 
that  they  must  be  changed  as  soon  as  they  see  the 
new  people  or  a  sign  or  a  mark  of  their  coming. 
These  unchanged  first  people,  few  in  number  com 
paratively,  attempt  to  escape ;  but  their  attempts  are 
vain,  their  efforts  are  useless.  In  the  distant  east 
they  see  smoke  from  the  fires  of  the  advancing  new 
people,  the  Indians  of  America,  or  hear  the  barking 
of  the  dogs  of  this  people,  and  that  instant  they 


Introduction  xvii 


receive  the  forms  which  are  due  them.  Others 
escape  for  a  season  and  hide  in  dark  places ;  but  the 
Indians  go  everywhere,  and  the  metamorphoses  con 
tinue  till  the  career  of  the  first  people  is  ended. 

I  have  in  mind  at  this  moment  a  representative 
picture  of  this  last  group  of  persons  who  were  un 
willing  to  be  metamorphosed  and  strove  to  avoid 
the  new  race,  the  inevitable  Indians.  They  had  no 
desire  to  see  men,  and  they  fled  to  all  sorts  of  lonely 
retreats  and  remote  forest  places.  At  a  certain  point 
on  the  Klamath  is  a  rough  mountain  slope  which 
rises  abruptly  from  the  water  ;  far  up,  well  toward 
the  ridge,  about  seven-eighths  of  the  way  from  the 
iver  to  the  summit,  is  a  bulky  high  stone  which 
seen  from  a  distance  looks  much  like  a  statue.  Close 
behind  is  another  stone,  somewhat  smaller,  which 
leans  forward  in  the  posture  of  a  person  hastening 
eagerly.  Both  are  white  and  shining ;  they  have  the 
appearance  of  quartz  rock.  These  were  two  sisters 
hastening,  rushing  away  to  escape  the  coming 
change.  When  they  reached  the  points  where  they 
are  standing  at  present,  the  foremost  sister  looked 
toward  the  east  and  saw  smoke;  the  second  did  not 
look,  but  she  heard  the  distant  barking  of  dogs 
which  came  from  the  place  where  the  smoke  was  ; 
both  were  changed  into  stone  that  same  instant. 

With  the  transformation  of  the  last  of  the  first 
people  or  divinities,  which  was  finished  only  when 
the  Indians  or  some  sign  of  them  appeared  in  every 
remote  nook  and  corner  in  which  a  remnant  of  the 
first  people  had  taken  refuge,  the  present  order  of 


xviii  Introduction 


things  is  established  completely.  There  are  now  in 
the  world  individualities  of  three  distinct  sets  and 
orders.  First,  that  small  number  of  the  first  people 
whose  minds  had  never  changed,  those  gods  who 
withdrew  and  who  live  in  their  original  integrity  and 
harmony,  who  retired  to  places  outside  the  sky  or 
above  it ;  second,  the  great  majority  of  the  gods,  who 
have  become  everything  in  the  present  world  save 
and  except  only  Indians.  This  cycle  finished,  there 
is  a  new  point  of  departure,  and  we  meet  a  second 
group  of  myths  concerning  the  existent  world  as  it 
is  now  with  its  happenings,  —  myths  containing 
accounts  of  conflicts  which  are  ever  recurrent,  which 
began  before  all  the  first  people  were  metamor 
phosed,  conflicts  which  are  going  on  at  present  and 
which  will  go  on  forever ;  struggles  between  light 
and  darkness,  heat  and  cold,  summer  and  winter, 
struggles  between  winds  which  blow  in  opposite 
directions,  —  in  fact,  accounts  of  various  phenomena 
and  processes  which  attract  the  attention  of  savage 
men  more  than  others  because  savage  men  are  living 
face  to  face  with  them  always. 

This  second  group  contains  a  large  number  of 
myths,  many  of  them  exceedingly  beautiful  and,  so 
far  as  they  are  known,  highly  pleasing  to  cultivated 
people.  Unfortunately  few  of  these  myths  have 
been  given  to  the  world  yet,  for  the  sole  and  simple 
reason  that  comparatively  few  have  been  collected 
from  the  Indians. 

The  first  cycle  of  myths — that  is,  those,  which  refer 
to  creation,  in  other  words  to  the  metamorphoses  of 


Introduction  xix 


the  first  people  or  gods  into  everything  which  is 
in  the  world,  including  the  world  itself —  is  suc 
ceeded  by  another  in  which  are  described  the  vari 
ous  changes,  phenomena,  and  processes  observed 
throughout  nature. 

In  this  second  cycle,  as  I  have  just  stated,  light 
and  darkness,  heat  and  cold,  opposing'  winds, 
heavenly  bodies  appear  as  heroes  and  leading  actors. 
For  ages  the  reverence,  sympathy,  and  enthusiasm 
of  primitive  men  have  been  given  to  those  heroes, 
and  are  given  to  them  yet,  by  every  tribe  which  pre 
serves  its  ancient  beliefs  and  ideas. 

In  this  cycle  is  one  small  group  of  myths  which 
to  the  Indian  is  very  sacred,  a  group  which  in  many 
tribes  is  revered  beyond  others.  This  group  asso 
ciates  the  earth  with  the  sky  and  sun  considered  as 
one  person,  or  the  sky  and  sun  considered  as  dis 
tinct  from  each  other.  To  these  are  added  one,  and 
sometimes  two  personages  born  of  the  earth.  In  the 
simplest  version  of  this  myth  the  earth  maiden 
through  being  looked  at  by  the  sun  becomes  a 
mother,  gives  birth  to  a  great  hero,  the  chief  bene 
factor  of  Indians.  This  hero  gives  the  race  all  gifts 
that  support  existence,  and  it  is  through  him  that 
men  live  and  prosper.  Under  whatever  name  he 
appears  this  benefactor  is  really  that  warm  light 
which  we  see  quivering,  waving,  and  dancing  above 
the  earth  in  fine  weather.  He  is  the  son  of  the 
virgin  earth,  of  that  mother  who  has  never  known  a 
consort  save  the  one  who  looked  from  the  height  of 
heaven  on  her. 


xx  Introduction 


The  lives  of  the  first  people  are  described  in 
creation  myths,  and  presented  as  models  upon  which 
faithful  Indians  are  to  fashion  their  lives  at  all  times 
and  places.  All  institutions  of  primitive  man  in 
America  were  patterned  upon  those  of  "  the  first 
people."  v  Every  act  of  an  Indian  in  peace  or  in 
war,  as  an  individual  or  as  a  member  of  a  tribe,  had 
its  only  sanction  in  the  world  of  the  first  people,  the 
American  divinities. 

There  was  not  on  this  continent  one  institution, 
observance,  right,  or  custom  which  was  not  god- 
given,  theoretically.  The  Indians  of  America  always 
acted  in  a  prescribed  manner  on  a  given  occasion, 
because  the  gods  of  the  world  which  preceded  this 
had  acted  in  the  same  manner  in  similar  conditions 
and  circumstances. 

No  people  could  be  more  religious  than  those  of 
this  continent,  for  there  was  no  act  of  any  kind  in  life 
during  which  they  were  free  of  religious  direction. 
The  source  of  this  religion  is  in  the  myths,  and  in 
the  explanations  concerning  them  given  by  wise 
men,  —  in  other  words,  by  sorcerers. 

What  shall  we  say  of  this  Indian  system,  and 
what  is  its  value  ? 

The  first  to  be  said  is  that  it  is  complete,  and 
for  every  Indian  believer  well-founded  and  sym 
metrically  developed.  In  the  primitive  religion  of 
America  there  is  no  speculation,  all  is  simple  state 
ment  ;  there  are  no  abstractions,  qualities  are  always 
connected  with  persons. 

Indians  believe  that  the  whole  immense  body  of 


Introduction  xxi 


myths  was  delivered  to  them  by  the  first  people  in 
one  place  or  another.  Among  the  Iroquois  there  is 
a  detailed  account  of  how  myths  were  told  to  an 
ancient  chief  and  an  assembly  of  the  people  on  a 
circular  open  space  in  a  deep  forest.  On  this  space 
was  a  large  wheel-shaped  stone.  From  beneath  this 
stone  came  a  voice  which  told  the  tale  of  the  former 
world,  told  how  the  first  people  had  become  what 
they  are  at  present. 

Day  after  day  the  chief  and  the  people  came  to 
the.  stone,  sat,  and  listened  till  the  whole  cycle  of 
tales  was  narrated. 

On  the  Lower  Klamath  is  a  very  old,  immense  tree, 
which  has  given  an  account  of  the  first  world  and 
people.  This  tree  itself  is  one  of  the  first  people 
metamorphosed ;  no  one  knows  what  its  age  is. 
Sorcerers  go  to  it  yearly,  hold  converse,  put  ques 
tions,  receive  answers.  Each  year  a  small  stone  is 
added  to  a  pile  in  which  there  are  thousands  of 
pebbles,  apparently.  This  pile  stands  near  the  tree ; 
no  one  is  permitted  to  count  the  stones  in  it.  The 
pile  is  sacred  ;  once  a  stone  is  placed  with  the  others, 
it  must  stay  there  forever. 

This  sacred  tree  has  told  tales  of  the  first  world, 
—  the  tales  known  to  Weitspekan  Indians  and  re 
vered  by  them. 

On  the  Upper  Columbia  is  a  great  rock  which 
resembles  an  elk  somewhat.  This  rock  is  also  an 
oracle,  one  of  the  first  people ;  like  the  round  stone 
of  the  Iroquois,  it  has  told  of  the  first  world,  and  its 
tales  all  belong  to  the  Shahaptians. 


xxii  Introduction 


The  Indian  system  has  its  plain  and  clear  revela 
tion  ;  for  believers  it  has  tangible  and  undoubted 
connection  with  the  world  which  preceded  the  pres 
ent  one.  Its  narratives  explain  how  in  one  place 
and  another  the  first  people  revealed  the  tale  of  the 
world's  transformation. 

For  the  Indian  this  is  all-satisfactory.  He  has  a 
system  which  is  perfect,  extensive,  rich  in  details, 
full  of  interest,  —  a  system  which  gives  proofs  of 
its  origin  through  testimony  delivered  by  divinities. 
It  was  revealed  to  the  wise  men,  the  worthies,  the 
patriarchs  of  his  race.  What  more  could  he  wish 
for  ?  What  more  could  he  ask  ?  Nothing.  The 
wisdom  of  his  nation  is  more  valid,  more  reliable 
than  the  witness  of  his  own  senses.  His  eyes  and 
ears  might  be  deceived  by  tricksters,  but  not  by  the 
truth  delivered  to  great  men  among  his  own  people, 
preserved  by  them  sacredly  and  passed  down  to 
others. 

This  is  the  position  of  the  Indian.  He  believes 
in  his  own  system  fully.  How  are  we  to  relate 
ourselves  to  that  system  and  its  contents  ?  What 
should  we  think  of  it  ?  How  was  it  conceived,  how 
developed  ? 

We  do  not  believe  in  an  Indian  first  world  nor  a 
previous  people  turned  into  animals,  plants,  insects, 
birds,  fish,  and  reptiles.  We  have  no  ancestors  who 
founded  that  system ;  we  possess  no  traditions  that 
came  from  it,  no  beliefs  that  are  based  on  its 
teachings,  no  faith  in  its  sorcerers,  no  dread  of  their 
workings.  Any  statement  as  to  how  the  Indian 


Introduction  xxiii 


system  was  conceived  and  how  it  was  developed  is 
very  different  in  character  from  a  statement  of  what 
the  Indian  system  is  externally  and  on  the  basis  of 
its  own  story. 

In  presenting  the  system  from  the  purely  formal 
side  we  are  dealing  with  simple  facts,  which  we  col 
lect  and  range  in  order.  Once  we  possess  these 
ordered  facts,  we  have  the  externals  of  everything 
Indian, —  not  only  religion,  but  medicine,  politics, 
social  life.  We  might  stop  there  and  say,  This  is 
the  system.  But  from  our  point  of  view  we  are 
forced  to  go  further,  we  must  seek  explanations. 
We  form  no  part  of  the  Indian  assembly  of  believers, 
we  have  no  faith  in  their  system  except  to  show  us 
what  the  Indian  mind  is ;  hence  we  are  forced  to 
ask  how  the  Indian  founded  his  religion  and  evolved 
it,  we  are  forced  to  look  for  its  origin  and  meaning. 
We  give  no  credence  to  his  tale  of  revelation ;  we 
are  certain  that  he  himself —  that  is,  his  race  —  began 
the  system,  that  it  was  developed  from  insignificant 
beginnings,  and  increased  through  lengthy  periods 
till  it  reached  its  present  form  and  fulness.  We 
have  not  the  details  of  how  he  acted,  but  we  know 
where  the  myth-maker  had  to  begin,  and  we  see 
wrhat  he  has  effected. 

The  physical  universe  was  for  myth-makers  of 
the  old  time  in  America  the  same  in  principle  that 
it  is  for  us  to-day,  the  visible  result  and  expression 
of  unseen  power  and  qualities.  The  difference  be 
tween  us  and  them  is  determined  by  the  things  that 
we  see  and  the  way  in  which  we  apprehend  them. 


xxiv  Introduction 


What  did  the  ancient  myth-makers  say  of  this 
universe,  and  what  interest  or  value  has  their  state 
ment  for  us  at  this  moment  ? 

The  primitive  men  of  America  saw  before  them 
forests,  plains,  deserts,  mountains,  lakes,  and  rivers 
of  various  sizes,  from  the  smallest  to  the  greatest ; 
they  lived  in  climates  varying  from  the  coldest  and 
most  inclement  to  the  hottest  and  most  difficult  of 
endurance.  They  saw  around  them  on  all  sides  a 
world  far  more  hostile  than  friendly,  —  a  world  of 
savage  beasts,  wild  creatures,  poisonous  reptiles, 
deadly  insects.  Each  creature,  every  plant  had  its 
own  fixed  and  settled  character,  its  own  aim  and 
object.  Whence  came  beasts  good  for  food  or 
clothing ;  whence  others  dangerous  to  life,  beasts  to 
be  slain  or  avoided  ?  Whence  came  trees  and 
plants  of  various  kinds  and  uses  ?  Whence  came 
sweetness  in  the  maple  or  bitterness  and  poison  in 
another  tree  ?  What  is  the  origin  of  corn,  and  why 
do  poisons  grow  to  kill  as  corn  does  to  nourish  ? 
Whence  came  the  rattlesnake,  and  whence  the 
salmon  ?  Because  of  these  questions  myths  ap 
peared,  and  those  myths  gave  answers  which  received 
full  faith  and  credence,  —  answers  on  which  was  built 
a  theory  of  how  this  world  arose,  and  what  the  true 
and  proper  scheme  of  life  was. 

The  myth-maker  looked  at  the  universe  around 
him,  and  saw  throughout  every  part  of  it  individu 
alities  having  qualities,  desires,  and  passions  in 
varying  degrees.  He  observed  these  individuali 
ties,  and  gave  a  detailed  account  and  history  of  how 


Introduction 


xxv 


this  world  arose.  He  gave  this  history  by  pro 
jecting  existence  into  a  past  which  was  remote  and 
passionless.  Out  of  that  harmonious  past  he 
evolved  the  present  world  and  its  order  by  describ 
ing  in  the  past  world  the  play  of  all  those  passions, 
desires,  and  appetites  which  he  saw  at  work  in  life 
around  him.  Such  was  the  method  employed  in 
producing  the  American  creation  myths.  The  task 
required  much  time,  long  observation,  careful 
thought,  and  no  small  constructive  power.  These 
creation  myths  with  the  next,  which  I  have  mentioned 
already  and  called  action  myths,  are  the  great  result 
of  mental  toil  and  effort  in  the  old  time  on  this 
continent.  In  these  two  sets  of  myths  the  Indian 
has  told  what  he  thinks  of  the  universe. 

When  Europeans  came  to  this  hemisphere,  the 
American  myth  system  was.  unbroken  and  perfect. 
There  was  no  second  order  of  thought  here.  The 
continent  was  untouched  by  foreign  conquest  or 
ideas.  The  inhabitants  had  lived  in  mental  isola 
tion,  in  absolute  freedom  from  every  outside  influ 
ence.  Human  history  has  no  second  example  of  a 
single  system  of  thought  developed  over  such  a  vast 
area.  Inhabited  America  extended  at  least  nine 
thousand  miles  from  north  to  south,  more  than  one 
third  of  the  earth's  circumference  and  considerably 
more  than  the  earth's  diameter.  This  territory 
where  broadest  was  at  least  three  thousand  miles 
from  east  to  west,  both  in  North  and  South  America. 
Over  this  immense  portion  of  the  earth's  surface 
with  its  endless  variety  of  soil,  climate,  scenery,  and 


xxvi  Introduction 


conditions  of  existence,  a  single  system  of  primitive 
philosophy  was  developed  with  a  fulness  and  a 
wealth  of  illustration  which  could  find  no  parallel  in 
any  other  place.  The  result  of  all  this  is  that  we 
have  in  America  a  monument  of  thought  which  is 
absolutely  unequalled,  altogether  unique  in  human 
experience.  The  special  value  of  this  thought  lies, 
moreover,  in  the  fact  that  it  is  primitive,  that  it  is 
the  thought  of  ages  long  anterior  to  those  which 
we  find  recorded  on  the  eastern  hemisphere,  either 
in  sacred  books,  histories,  or  literature,  whether 
preserved  on  baked  brick,  burnt  cylinders,  or 
papyrus. 

The  American  system,  which  gives  us  a  circum 
stantial  account  of  the  beginning  of  all  things,  is  as 
far  reaching  as  the  nebular  hypothesis,  or  as  that 
theory  which  gives  a  common  origin  to  man  and  all 
sentient  existences. 

Primitive  man  in  America  stood  at  every  step  face 
to  face  with  divinity  as  he  knew  or  understood  it. 
He  could  never  escape  from  the  presence  of  those 
powers  which  had  constituted  the  first  world,  and 
which  composed  all  that  there  was  in  the  present 
one.  Man's  chief  means  of  sustenance  in  most  parts 
were  on  land  or  in  the  water.  Game  and  fish  of  all 
sorts  were  under  direct  divine  supervision.  Invisible 
powers  might  send  forth  game  or  withdraw  it  very 
quickly.  With  fish  the  case  was  similar.  Connected 
with  fishing  and  hunting  was  an  elaborate  ceremonial, 
a  variety  of  observances  and  prohibitions.  Every 
man  had  a  great  many  things  to  observe  as  an  indi- 


Introduction  xxvii 


vidual,  a  great  many  also  as  a  member  of  his  tribe 
or  society. 

The  most  important  question  of  all  in  Indian  life 
was  communication  with  divinity,  intercourse  with 
the  spirits  of  divine  personages.  No  man  'could 
communicate  with  these  unless  the  man  to  whom 
they  chose  to  manifest  themselves.  There  were 
certain  things  which  a  man  had  to  do  to  obtain 
communication  with  divinity  and  receive  a  promise 
of  assistance ;  but  it  was  only  the  elect,  the  right 
person,  the  fit  one,  who  obtained  the  desired  favor. 
For  instance,  twenty  men  might  go  to  the  mountain 
place,  and  observe  every  rule  carefully,  but  only  one 
man  be  favored  with  a  vision,  only  one  become  a 
seer.  Twenty  others  might  go  to  the  mountain 
place,  and  not  one  be  accounted  worthy  to  behold  a  .  m 
spirit ;  a  third  twenty  might  go,  and  two  or  three  of  ^r 
them  be  chosen.  No  man  could  tell  beforehand 
what  success  or  failure  might  await  him.  The  gen 
eral  method  at  present  is  the  following,  the  same  as 
in  the  old  time  :  — 

Soon  after  puberty,  and  in  every  case  before 
marriage  or  acquaintance  with  woman,  the  youth  or 
young  man  who  hopes  to  become  a  doctor  goes  to 
a  sacred  mountain  pond  or  spring,  where  he  drinks 
water  and  bathes.  After  he  has  bathed  and  dressed, 
he  speaks  to  the  spirits,  he  prays  them  to  come  to 
him,  to  give  him  knowledge,  to  grant  their  assist 
ance.  The  young  man  takes  no  food,  no  nourish 
ment  of  any  sort,  fasts,  as  he  is  able,  seven  days 
and  nights,  sometimes  longer.  All  this  time  he  is 


xxviii  Introduction 


allowed  no  drink  except  water.  He  sleeps  as  little 
as  possible.  If  spirits  come  to  him,  he  has  visions, 
he  receives  power  and  favor.  A  number  of  spirits 
may  visit  a  man  one  after  another,  and  promise  him 
aid  and  co-operation.  The  eagle  spirit  may  come, 
the  spirit  of  the  elk  or  the  salmon,  —  any  spirit  that 
likes  the  man.  The  spirit  says  in  substance, 
"  Whenever  you  call  my  name  I  will  come,  I  will 
give  my  power  to  assist  you."  After  one  spirit  has 
gone,  another  may  appear,  and  another.  A  man  is 
not  free  to  refuse  the  offers  of  spirits,  he  must 
receive  all  those  who  come  to  him.  As  there  are 
peculiar  observances  connected  with  each  spirit,  the 
doctor  who  is  assisted  by  many  is  hampered  much 
in  his  method  of  living.  There  are  spirits  which 
do  not  like  buckskin ;  the  man  to  whom  they  come 
must  never  wear  buckskin.  If  a  man  eats  food 
repugnant  to  his  spirit,  the  spirit  will  kill  him.  As 
each  spirit  has  its  favorite  food,  and  there  are  other 
kinds  which  to  it  are  distasteful,  we  can  understand 
easily  that  the  doctor  who  has  ten  spirits  or  twenty 
(and  there  are  some  who  have  thirty)  to  aid  him  is 
limited  in  his  manner  of  living.  Greatness  has  its 
price  at  all  times,  power  must  be  paid  for  in  every 
place.  Those  for  whom  the  spirits  have  no  regard, 
and  they  are  the  majority,  return  home  without 
visions  or  hope  of  assistance  ;  the  spirits  are  able  to 
look  through  all  persons  directly,  and  straightway 
they  see  what  a  man  is.  They  find  most  people 
unsuited  to  their  purposes,  unfit  to  be  assisted. 
This  preparation  to  become  seers  or  sorcerers 


Introduction  xxix 


among  Indians  is  of  very  deep  interest.  I  have 
given  a  considerable  number  of  details  on  the  subject 
in  notes  to  "  Kol  Tibichi."  The  spirit  of  any  plant, 
any  star,  or  other  personage  in  creation  may  become 
a  man's  attendant.  In.  our  popular  phraseology, 
this  is  called  his  cc  medicine." 

In  a  Modoc  myth  the  morning  star  is  the  attend 
ant  of  the  sun.  According  to  this  myth  the  sun 
is  destroyed  every  day  physically,  is  consumed  into 
a  heap  of  ashes ;  but  as  the  sun  has  an  immortal 
golden  disk  in  his  body,  a  disk  which  contains  his 
whole  existence,  he  can  never  perish.  This  disk 
remains  always  in  the  heap  of  ashes.  There  is  a 
condition,  however,  incident  to  the  sun's  resurrec 
tion  :  he  must  be  called.  Every  morning  some  one 
must  rouse  him,  as  a  hireling  is  roused  to  his  daily 
labor.  The  morning  star  has  that  duty,  and  will 
never  be  freed  from  it.  While  the  sun  exists,  the 
morning  star  must  call  him.  At  the  summons  of 
the  star  the  golden  disk  springs  from  the  pile  of 
ashes,  the  sun  is  renewed  completely,  and  goes 
forth  to  run  his  race  till  consumed  again  in  the 
evening.  Here  we  have  the  Phoenix  rising  from  its 
ashes  daily  instead  of  once  in  five  centuries. 

The  system  outlined  in  the  myths  contained  in 
this  volume  is  that  of  the  Wintus  and  Yanas,  two 
stocks  of  Indians  whom  I  shall  describe  somewhat 
later. 

The  Wintu  system  is  remarkable  for  the  peculiar 
development  of  the  chief  divinity,  Olelbis,  called 
also  Nomhliestawa. 


xxx  Introduction 


The  word  "  Olelbis  "  is  formed  of  three  etymologi 
cal  elements  :  ol,  up  ;  el,  in ;  bis,  dwelling  or  sitting,— 
dwelling  on  high.  Nomhliestawa  is  formed  also  of 
three  elements:  nom,  west ;  hlie's,  to  hurl ;  and  tawa, 
left-handed.  Both  names  are  epithets,  and  the 
Wintus  have  forgotten  who  or  what  their  chief 
divinity  is  ;  at  least  I  have  not  been  able  to  find 
a  man  among  them  who  could  give  information 
on  this  subject.  Olelbis  lives  in  the  highest  part 
of  the  sky  ;  with  him  are  the  best  of  the  first  people. 
From  his  beautiful  house,  Olelpanti  Hlut,  he  sees 
everything  on  earth,  and  seems  more  real  and 
familiar  than  any  divinity  connected  with  other 
tribes.  He  is  certainly  more  effective  in  manage 
ment,  more  active  than  any  divinity  of  other  Indian 
stocks,  so  far  as  I  know. 

Olelbis  disposes  of  the  first  people,  except  in  a  few 
cases,  and  he  retains  with  himself  whomsoever  he  likes. 
He  sends  to  the  earth  and  transforms  those  whom  he 
thinks  more  useful  below  than  above,  and  gives  the 
example  of  a  single  ruling  divinity  which,  without 
being  all-powerful  or  all-wise,  is  able,  through  the 
knowledge  and  services  of  others,  to  bear  rule  over 
the  world  in  all  places  and  everywhere. 

The  two  old  women,  the  grandmothers,  are  in 
teresting  persons,  counsellors  of  the  chief  divinity, 
rainmakers,  wise  with  a  knowledge  of  people  of 
whom  Olelbis  is  ignorant,  at  least  professedly. 
These  old  women  have  been  turned  into  a  stone 
which  has  a  spongy  appearance  and  looks  like  the 
inside  or  porous  portion  of  bones  which  are  with 
out  marrow. 


Introduction  xxxi 


The  great  majority  of  Wintu  metamorphoses  are 
effected  by  Olelbis.  The  only  exceptions  are  those 
of  Sas,  ,Hawt^  and  Tichelis,  transformed  by  Tul- 
chuherris,  and  certain  changes  such  as  those  of  color 
produced  at  the  great  musical  contest  given  by 
Waida  Dikit.  When  each  played  on  a  flute  at  that 
contest  till  he  had  done  his  best,  till  he  had  lost 
breath,  then  he  changed  color.  Though  the  Wintu 
system  differs  much  in  detail  from '  others,  it  agrees 
perfectly  with  all  bodiesjpf  mythology  on  the  great 
point,  the  main  principle,  metani^rphosis.  Through  \ 
metamorphosis,  alftKmgs  have~1>ecome  what  they' 
are ;  through  revelation  it  was  learned  that  the 
metamorphoses  took  place,  and  in  what  way  they 
took  place.  We  must  not  consider  the  final  act  as 
the  whole  ;  the  change  had  been  in  process  for  a 
long  period,  and  the  final  words  from  opponents  in 
conflict,  the  commands  of  Olelbis,  the  decisions  of 
personages  who  changed  themselves  at  the  approach 
of  Indians,  or  at  signs  of  their  coming,  are  but  the 
very  last  act,  the  final  incident,  the  official  ending, 
so  to  speak,  of  an  immensely  long  career  in  each 
case. 

Of  course  there  is  no  true  information  in  the 
American  ethnic  religion  as  to  the  real  changes 
which  affected  the  world  around  us  ;  but  there  is 
in  it,  as  in  all  systems  like  it,  true  information  re 
garding  the  history  of  the  human  mind.  Every 
ethnic  religion  gives  us  documentary  evidence.  It 
gives  us  positive  facts  which,  in  their  own  sphere, 
are  as  true  as  are  facts  of  geology  in  the  history  of 


xxxii  Introduction 


the  earth's  crust  and  surface.  They  do  not  tell  us 
what  took  place  in  the  world  without,  in  the  physi 
cal  universe,  they  had  no  means  of  doing  so  ;  but 
they  do  tell  us  what  took  place  at  certain  periods 
in  the  world  of  mind,  in  the  interior  of  man. 

The  term  "  ethnic  religion  "  needs  some  explana 
tion,  perhaps,  before  we  go  further.  An  ethnic  or 
primitive  religion  is  one  which  belongs  to  people  of 
one  blood  and  language,  people  who  increased  and 
developed  together  with  the  beliefs  of  every  sort 
which  belong  to  them.  Such  a  religion  includes 
every  species  of  knowledge,  every  kind  of  custom, 
institution,  and  art.  Every  aboriginal  nation  or 
human  brood  has  its  gods.  All  people  of  one 
blood  and  origin  are  under  the  immediate  care  and 
supervision  of  their  gods,  and  preserve  continual 
communication  and  converse  with  them.  Accord 
ing  to  their  own  beliefs,  such  people  received  from 
their  gods  all  that  they  have,  all  that  they  practise, 
all  that  they  know.  Such  people,  while  their  blood 
is  unmixed  and  their  society  unconquered,  adhere  to 
their  gods  with  the  utmost  fidelity. 

The  bonds  which  connect  a  nation  with  its  gods, 
bonds  of  faith,  and  those  which  connect  the  indi 
viduals  of  that  nation  with  one  another,  bonds  of 
blood,  are  the  strongest  known  to  primitive  man, 
and  are  the  only  social  bonds  in  prehistoric  ages. 
This  early  stage  was  the  one  in  which  even  the 
most  advanced  group  of  Indians  in  America  found 
themselves  when  the  continent  was  discovered. 

On  the  Eastern  hemisphere,  where  there  were  so 


Introduction  xxxiii 


many  races  quite  distinct  and  different  from  one 
another,  the  conquest  of  one  race  by  another,  or 
the  conquest  of  a  number  of  races  by  one,  was 
frequent  and  had  a  great  influence  on  thought 
and  on  religion.  The  influence  of  one  religion  or 
system  of  thought  on  another  was  sometimes  con 
siderable,  as  the  intellectual  influence  of  Egypt  on 
Greece,  and  sometimes  great,  as  that  of  Greece  on 
Rome. 

The  influence  of  the  physical  conquest  of  many 
by  one  was  immense  politically  and  socially,  as  in 
the  case  of  Rome,  which  subdued  Greece  and,  to 
gether  with  Greece,  all  that  Alexander  had  conquered 
in  Asia  and  Egypt.  With  the  ruin  of  Carthage, 
Rome  destroyed  the  ancient  thought  of  Phoenicia, 
which  was  closely  akin  to  the  earliest  Hebrew,  and 
one  of  the  most  important  among  Semitic  nations. 
With  the  conquest  and  assimilation  of  Transalpine 
and  Cisalpine  Gaul,  the  whole  ancient  fabric  of 
Keltic  thought  on  the  continent  gave  way,  and  its 
chief  elements  were  lost  soon  after. 

The  last  of  the  ethnic  religions  of  Europe,  and 
one  of  the  most  valuable,  that  of  the  Lithuanians, 
continued  in  perfect  condition  till  the  fifteenth  cen 
tury,  when  it  was  ended  through  bloodshed  and 
violence.  This  last  of  the  systems  of  primitive 
Aryan  thought  in  Europe  passed  away  leaving  slight 
traces.  We  know  the  names  of  some  of  its  divini 
ties  ;  we  know  that  it  resembled  the  Slav,  but  was 
more  developed,  that  it  had  sacred  serpents  and 
priestesses  who  guarded  the  holy,  unquenchable  fire  ; 


xxxiv  Introduction 


but,  to  the  great  regret  of  men  of  science,  we  have 
only  small  fragments  of  the  system,  brief  and  meagre 
accounts  of  it. 

If  we  look  closely  into  the  religious  history  of 
the  Eastern  hemisphere,  we  shall  find  the  position 
to  be  approximately  as  follows,  — 

In  the  oldest  of  the  inscriptional  versions  of  the 
"  Book  of  the  Dead  "  on  the  walls  of  pyramids, 
we  find  the  religion  of  Egypt  advanced  far  beyond 
the  first  stages  of  development.  Though  animals, 
birds,  reptiles,  and  insects  occupy  a  prominent  posi 
tion  in  Egyptian  religion,  it  is  not  evident  why  they 
occupy  that  position.  There  is  no  inscription  or 
book  to  inform  us.  The  earliest  stage  of  Egyptian 
religion  is  lost  to  us.  Egyptian  priests,  when  re 
proached  for  the  national  worship  rendered  various 
animals,  birds,  reptiles,  and  insects,  creatures  that 
were  vile,  useful,  clean,  or  unclean,  as  the  case  might 
be,  were  unable  to  give  a  cause  for  the  worship. 
They  were  unable  for  the  reason  that  the  mytho- 
logic  account  was  unknown  to  them,  or  had  been 
lost  or  was  unconsidered ;  whatever  the  reason, 
neither  papyrus  nor  inscription  explains  it. 

The  chief  gods  of  priestly  Egypt  answered  ex 
actly  to  the  Indian  divinities  of  the  second  class  of 
myths  in  America,  those  which  I  have  called  action 
myths.  Among  these  the  sun  and  the  earth  were 
very  prominent.  Of  the  earliest  gods  of  Egypt, 
those  which  answered  to  the  "first  people,"  or 
divinities  in  American  creation  myths,  we  find  no 
account  thus  far.  If  we  had  that  account,  it  would 


Introduction  xxxv 


explain  why  there  are  animals,  reptiles,  and  insects 
in  Egyptian  religion. 

In  Greece  those  portions  of  the  earliest  mythology 
which  were  not  lost  were  obscured.  The  ancient 
creation  myths  were  either  misunderstood,  or  were 
unknown  to  the  educated  at  the  period  from  which 
the  first  literary  monuments  have  come  down  to  us. 
Hesiod  arranged  and  shaped  Greek  mythology  to 
suit  himself  and  his  audience,  so  that  it  is  quite 
impossible  to  learn  from  that  author  what  the  primi 
tive  myths  of  Greece  were.  If  brought  before  him, 
he  would  doubtless  have  looked  on  them  much  as 
a  certain  French  Algonkin  and  Iroquois  scholar 
of  Canada  looked  on  the  myths  of  America.  The 
man  had  an  extensive  knowledge  of  Algonkin  and 
Iroquois  words,  but  an  utter  contempt  for  Indian 
thought,  and  no  real  knowledge  of  it  whatever. 
When  I  mentioned  Indian  mythology,  he  exclaimed : 
"  Mais,  Monsieur,  c'est  quelque  chose  d'absurde." 

No  doubt  the  earliest  creation  myths  were  well 
known  throughout  rural  Greece  among  the  illiterate, 
but  there  was  no  philosopher  of  that  day  who  knew 
their  value.  There  was  no  man  to  consider  them. 

Roman  mythology,  as  well  as  Greek,  suffered 
from  literary  treatment,  and  it  is  only  by  collecting 
detached  fragments  and  facts  of  primitive  thought 
throughout  the  whole  field  of  classic  literature  that 
we  are  able  to  get  at  something  beyond  the  official 
religion  of  polished  society  in  Greece  and  Rome. 

From  the  wreck  of  ancient  Keltic  and  Teutonic 
thought  much  has  been  saved  on  the  two  islands 


xxxvi  Introduction 


of  Ireland  and  Iceland.  With  this,  together  with 
the  American  system  and  the  mythologic  inheritance 
of  the  Slav  world  in  Eastern  Europe,  we  shall  be 
able  perhaps  to  obtain  materials  with  which  to  explain 
the  earliest  epoch  of  Aryan  thought,  the  epoch 
which  corresponds  in  development  with  the  world 
of  American  creation  myths.  In  that  case  we  shall 
gain  a  connected  view  of  Aryan  speculation  and  its 
methods  from  those  early  beginnings  when  there  was 
no  passion  or  quality  apart  from  a  person,  when 
symbols,  metaphors,  and  personifications  were  in  the 
distant  future.  The  whole  problem  is  to  connect 
the  thought  of  this  continent  with  that  of  the  rest  of 
mankind,  but  especially  and  above  all  with  the 
Aryan  and  Semitic  divisions  of  it. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Semitic  beliefs  of  the 
primitive  period  have  not  come  down  to  us  more 
numerously ;  for  example,  those  of  the  Phoenicians, 
the  earliest  Hebrews,  and  other  kindred  nations. 
Fortunately  the  Arabs,  the  most  poetic  of  the  race, 
the  knightly  members  of  it,  have  given  us  in  their 
history  one  fact  of  great  value.  Just  before  the 
establishment  of  the  new  religion  by  Mohammed 
there  were  in  Mecca  more  than  three  hundred 
Arabic  divinities,  animal,  vegetable,  and  mineral. 
We  can  hardly  doubt  that  the  pre-Mohammedan 
Arabic  system  of  religion  was  the  one  which  on  a 
time  belonged  to  the  whole  Semitic  race,  different 
among  some  divisions  of  it  in  details,  of  course,  but 
substantially  the  same  everywhere.  This  statement 
of  the  Arabic  condition  contains  a  fact  of  immense 


Introduction  xxxvii 


significance.  It  points  to  a  system  exactly  like  the 
American.  The  pre-Mohammedan  Arabic  was  the 
most  splendid  and  important  survival  of  primi 
tive  religion  in  any  historic  race  on  the  Eastern 
Hemisphere. 

It  is  proper  here  to  explain  the  position  of  spirits 
in  the  iian  systems.  All  the  first  people  are  con 
ceived  having  bodies  as  well  as  spirits.  When 
we  spv  \  of  a  spirit  appearing  to  a  sorcerer  or 
"docto  ,"  it  is  understood  that  that  spirit  has  left 
its  body  temporarily  and  will  return  to  it.  There 
are  no  spirits  without  bodies  save  an  exceptional  few 
who  at  the  time  of  the  metamorphosis  of  the  first 
peopl  lost  the  bodies  which  had  belonged  to  them 
in  thdr  primal  condition  and  received  no  new  bodies 
at  tl  jir  fall.  This  loss  of  bodies  was  inflicted  as 
a  punishment.  These  desolate  disembodied  spirits 
wander  about  now  in  mountains  and  lonely  weird 
places.  Uncanny  in  character,  they  are  seen  rarely, 
and  then  only  by  sorcerers. 

A  good  deal  has  been  given  to  the  world  of  late 
on  mythology  by  able  writers  who  with  good  ma 
terials  would  attain  good  results ;  but  as  the  mate 
rials  at  their  disposal  are  faulty,  much  of  their  work 
with  all  its  cleverness  is  mainly  a  persistent  pouring 
of  the  empty  into  the  void. 

We  have  seen  attempts  made  to  show  that  real 
gods  have  been  developed  by  savage  men  from  their 
own  dead  savage  chiefs.  Such  a  thing  has  never 
been  done  since  the  human  race  began,  and  it  could 
never  have  been  imagined  by  any  man  who  knew 


xxxviii  Introduction 


the  ideas  of  primitive  races  from  actual  experience 
or  from  competent  testimony.  The  most  striking 
thing  in  all  savage  belief  is  the  low  estimate  put  on 
man  when  unaided  by  divine,  uncreated  power.  In 
Indian  belief  every  object  in  the  universe  is  divine 
except  man.  Divinities  have  an  immense  range  of 
power,  there  is  an  incalculable  differenc  between 
the  greatest  and  the  smallest  of  them,  —  i  ie  have 
inconceivable  strength  and  knowledge,  whi  -  others 
are  measurably  weak  and  of  limited  intelligence,  — 
but  all  belong  to  one  category,  all  are  divine,  all  are 
extra-human. 

Vegetable  gods,  so  called,  have  been  scoffed  at 
by  writers  on  mythology.  The  scoff  is  baseless,  for 
the  first  people  were  turned,  or  turned  themselves, 
into  trees  and  various  plants  as  frequently  as  into 
beasts  and  other  creatures.  Maize  or  Indian  corn 
is  a  transformed  god  who  gave  himself  to  be  eaten 
to  save  man  from  hunger  and  death.  When  Span 
ish  priests  saw  little  cakes  of  meal  eaten  ceremoni 
ally  by  Indians,  and  when  the  latter  informed  them 
that  they  were  eating  their  god,  the  good  priests 
thought  this  a  diabolical  mockery  of  the  Holy  Sac 
rament,  and  a  blasphemous  trick  of  Satan  to  ruin 
poor  ignorant  Indians. 

I  have  a  myth  in  which  the  main  character  is 
a  violent  and  cruel  old  personage  who  is  merciless 
and  faith- breaking,  who  does  no  end  of  damage  till 
he  is  cornered  at  last  by  a  good  hero  and  turned 
into  the  wild  parsnip.  Before  transformation  this 
old  parsnip  could  travel  swiftly,,  but  now  he  must 


Introduction  xxxix 


stay  in  one  place,  and  of  course  kills  people  only 
when  they  eat  him. 

The  treasure  saved  to  science  by  the  primitive 
race  of  America  is  unique  in  value  and  high  signifi 
cance.  The  first  result  from  it  is  to  carry  us  back 
through  untold  centuries  to  that  epoch  when  man 
made  the  earliest  collective  and  consistent  explana 
tion  of  this  universe  and  its  origin. 

Occupying  this  vantage-ground,  we  can  now  throw 
a  flood  of  lighten  all  those  mythologies  and  ethnic 
religions  or  systems  of  thought  from  which  are  lost  in 
part,  great  or  small,  the  materials  needed  to  prove  the 
foundation  and  beginnings  of  each  of  them.  In  this 
condition  are  all  ancient  recorded  religions,  whether 
of  Greece,  Rome,  Egypt,  Chaldea,  Persia,  or  India. 

Through  amazing  ability  of  primitive  man  on  this 
continent  to  retain,  or  perhaps  through  his  inability 
to  change  or  go  forward,  he  has  preserved  a  system 
of  thought  already  old  at  the  time  of  the  first  cunei 
form  letters  and  of  the  earliest  statements  on  stone 
or  papyrus.  And  the  discovery  of  this  system  of 
ours  coincides  almost  with  the  moment  when 
America  after  a  century'  and  a  quarter  of  free  politi 
cal  activity,  and  of  intellectual  labor  unexampled  in 
fruitfulness,  takes  her  due  place  as  a  World  Power, 
and  enters  into  intimate  and  searching  relations, 
not  with  Europe  alone,  or  one  section  of  mankind, 
but  with  the  whole  human  race  wherever  fixed  or 

resident. 

JEREMIAH   CURTIN. 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  U.  S.  A., 

October  u,  1898.  • 


OLELBIS 


t 


CREATION    MYTHS 


OF 


PRIMITIVE    AMERICA 


OLELBIS 

PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  beast,  bird,  or  thing  into 
which  the  personage  was  changed  subsequently.  Names  on  which 
accents  are  not  placed  are  accented  on  the  penult.  Names  of 
places  are  explained  in  the  notes.  Kiemila  and  Herit  mean 
"old"  and  "young,"  respectively;  they  are  applied  to  male 
persons.  Pokaila  and  Loimis  are  applied  to  females  j  the  first 
means  "old,"  the  second  "young." 

Bisus,  mink  ;  Chalilak,  goose  ;  Chuluhl,  meadow-lark  ;  Dokos, 
flint;  Hau,  red  fox;  Hessiha,  tomtit;  Hilit,  house-fly;  Hlihli,  white 
oak  acorn  ;  Hus,  turkey  buzzard;  Kahit,  wind;  Kahsuku,  cloud  dog; 
Kaisus,  gray  squirrel;  Kar,  gray  heron;  Karili,  coon;  Katkatchila. 
swift;  Katsi,  chicken-hawk;  Kau,  white  crane;  Kiriu,  loon;  Klabus, 
mole;  Klak,  rattlesnake;  Kuntihle,  fish-hawk;  Lutchi,  humming 
bird;  Mem  Loimis,  water;  Mem  Tulit,  beaver;  Min  Taitai,  sap- 
sucker;  M6ihas,  bald  eagle;  Pakchuso,  the  pakchu  stone;  Patsptchet, 
badger;  Poharamas,  shooting  star;  .Sas.jjiun;  Sedit,  coyote;  Sosini, 
a  small  web-footed  bird  ;  Sutunut,  black  eagle  ;  Tede  Wiu,  a  small 
bird;  Tilichi,  a_watei>bird  ;  Tili^ur.^fij^drill  ;  Titchelis,  ground  squir 
rel  ;  Toko,sunfish;  T6rihas,  bluo  crane;  Tsararok,  kingfisher  ;  Tsaroki 
Sakahl,  green  snake;  Tsurat,  \voodpecker;  Wehl  Dilidili,  road-runner; 
Wima  Loimis,  grizzty"  Be  a  r  ,  Wokwuk,  a  l^j|^  bird,  extinct  ;  Yilahl, 
gopher;  Yoholmit,  frog  ;  Yonot,  buckeye  b 


THE  first  that  we  know  of  Olelbis  is  that  he 
was  in  Olelpanti.     Whether  he  lived  in  an 
other  place  is  not  known,  but  in  the  beginning  he 
was  in   Olelpanti  (on  the  upper  side),  the  highest 


'4^   Crealion:  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

place.  He  was  in  Olelpanti  before  there  was  any 
thing  down  here  on  the  earth,  and  two  old  women 
were  with  him  always.  These  old  women  he  called 
grandmother,  and  each  of  them  we  call  Pakchuso 
Pokaila. 

There  was  a  world  before  this  one  in  which  we 
are  now.  That  world  lasted  a  long,  long  time,  and 
there  were  many  people  living  in  it  before  the 
present  world  and  we,  the  present  people,  came. 

One  time  the  people  of  that  first  world  who  were 
living  then  in  the  country  about  here 1  were  talking 
of  those  who  lived  in  one  place  and  another.  Down 
in  the  southwest  was  a  person  whose  name  was  Kat- 
katchila.  He  could  kill  game  wonderfully,  but  no 
body  knew  how  he  did  it,  nor  could  any  one  find  out. 
He  did  not  kill  as  others  did  ;  he  had  something  that 
he  aimed  and  threw ;  he  would  point  a  hollow  stick 
which  he  had,  and  something  would  go  out  of  it 
and  kill  the  game.  In  that  time  a  great  many 
people  lived  about  this  place  where  we  are  now, 
and  their  chief  was  Torihas  Kiemila ;  these  people 
came  together  and  talked  about  Katkatchila. 

Some  one  said :  "  I  wonder  if  he  would  come  up 
here  if  we  sent  for  him." 

"  Let  us  send  for  him,"  said  Torihas  ;  "  let  us  ask 
him  to  come ;  tell  him  that  we  are  going  to  have  a 
great  dance.  Jfc>-morrow  we  will  send  some  one 
down  to  invit^Em." 

Next  morning  Torihas  sent  a  messenger  to  invite 
Katkatchila  ;  he  sent  Tsaroki  Sakahl,  a  very  quick 
traveller.  Though  it  was  far,  Tsaroki  went  there 

1  That  is,  in  the  Upper  Sacramento  Valley. 


Olelbis 


in  one  day,  gave  the  invitation,  and  told  about 
Torihas  and  his  people. 

"  I  agree,"  said  Katkatchila.  "  I  will  go  in  the 
morning/' 

Tsaroki  went  home  in  the  night,  and  told  the 
people  that  Katkatchila  would  come  on  the  fol 
lowing  day. 

"  What  shall  we  do  ? "  asked  they. 

"  First,  we  will  dance  one  night,"  said  the  chief; 
"  then  we  will  take  him  out  to  hunt  and  see  how  he 
kills  things." 

Katkatchila  had  a  sister ;  she  had  a  husband 
and  one  child.  She  never  went  outdoors  herself. 
She  was  always  in  the  house.  Nobody  ever  saw 
the  woman  or  her  child. 

When  Katkatchila  was  ready  to  start  he  told  his 
sister  that  he  was  going,  and  said  to  his  brother-in- 
law  :  "  I  am  going.  You  must  stay  at  home  while 
I  am  gone." 

The  sister  was  Yonot.     Her  husband  was  Tilikus. 

Katkatchila  came  to  a  hill  up  here,  went  to  the 
top  of  it,  and  sat  down.  From  the  hill  he  could 
see  the  camp  of  the  people  who  had  invited  him. 
He  stayed  there  awhile  and  saw  many  persons 
dancing.  It  was  in  summer  and  about  the  middle 
of  the  afternoon.  At  last  Katkatchila  went  down  to 
where  they  were  dancing,  and  stopped  a  little  way  off. 
Torihas,  who  was  watching,  saw  him  and  said, — 

"  Come  right  over  here,  Katkatchila,  and  sit  by 


me." 


Olelbis  was  looking  down  from  Olelpanti  at  this 
moment,  and  said  to  the  old  women,  "  My  grand- 


6       Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

mothers,  I  see  many  people  collected  on  earth  ;  they 
are  going  to  do  something." 

Katkatchila  sat  down  and  looked  on.  Soon  all 
the  people  stopped  dancing  and  went  to  their 
houses.  Torihas  had  food  brought  to  Katkatchila 
after  his  journey.  While  he  was  eating,  Torihas 
said  to  him, — 

"  My  grandson,  I  and  all  my  people  have  lived 
here  very  long.  My  people  want  to  dance  and 
hunt.  I  sent  one  of  them  to  ask  you  to  come 
up  here.  They  will  dance  to-night  and  go  hunt 
ing  to-morrow." 

Torihas  stood  up  then  and  said,  — 

"  You  my  people,  we  will  all  dance  to-night  and 
to-morrow  morning  we  will  go  to  hunt.  Do  not 
leave  home,  any  of  you.  Let  all  stay.  We  will 
have  a  great  hunt.  Katkatchila,  will  you  stay  with 
us  ? "  asked  he.  "  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  go  and 
hunt  with  us." 

"  I  will  go  with  you,"  said  Katkatchila.  "  I  am 
glad  to  go." 

They  danced  all  night.  Next  morning,  after 
they  had  eaten,  and  just  as  they  were  starting  off 
to  hunt,  the  chief  said  to  his  people,  — 

"  I  will  send  my  grandson  with  Katkatchila,  and 
some  of  you,  my  sons,  stay  near  him." 

Some  said  to  others  :  "  When  Katkatchila  shoots 
a  deer,  let  us  run  right  up  and  take  out  of  the  deer 
the  thing  with  which  he  killed  it,  and  then  we  won't 
give  it  back  to  him." 

"  Do  you  stay  with  him,  too,"  said  Torihas  to 
Kaisus,  who  was  a  swift  runner. 


Olelbis 


The  whole  party,  a  great  many  people,  went  to 
Hau  Bull  to  hunt.  When  they  got  onto  the  moun 
tain  they  saw  ten  deer.  Katkatchila  shot  without 
delay ;  as  soon  as  he  shot  a  deer  fell,  and  Kaisus, 
who  was  ready,  made  a  rush  and  ran  up  to  the 
deer,  but  Katkatchila  was  there  before  him  and 
had  taken  out  the  weapon. 

He  killed  all  ten  of  the  deer  one  after  another, 
and  Kaisus  ran  each  time  to  be  first  at  the  fallen 
body,  but  Katkatchila  was  always  ahead  of  him. 
When  they  went  home  Kaisus  carried  one  deer, 
and  told  of  all  they  had  done,  saying, — 

cc  Now  you  people,  go  and  bring  in  the  other 
deer.  I  don't  believe  any  man  among  us  can  run 
as  fast  as  Katkatchila;  he  is  a  wonderful  runner. 
I  don't  know  what  he  uses  to  kill  game,  and  I 
don't  think  we  can  get  it  away  from  him." 

That  night  Hau  spoke  up  among  his  friends  and 
said,  "  I  will  go  with  Katkatchila  to-morrow  and 
see  what  I  can  do." 

A  great  many  of  the  people  talked  about  Kat 
katchila  that  night,  saying, — 

"  We  do  not  think  that  he  will  ever  come  to  us 
again,  so  we  must  all  do  our  best  to  get  his  weapon 
while  he  is  here." 

Katkatchila  was  ready  to  go  home  after  the  hunt, 
but  Torihas  persuaded  him,  saying  :  "  Stay  one  day 
more.  Hunt  with  us  to-morrow." 

Katkatchila  agreed  to  stay.  Next  morning  they 
went  to  hunt.  Hau  went  among  others,  and  stayed 
near  Katkatchila  all  the  time. 

On  the  mountain  they  saw  ten  deer  again.     Kat- 


8       Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

katchila  stood  back  to  shoot.  Hau  was  ready  to 
spring  forward  to  get  the  weapon.  The  moment 
the  weapon  was  shot,  Hau  ran  with  all  his  strength, 
reached  the  deer  first,  took  out  the  weapon  and  hid 
it  in  his  ear. 

That  moment  Katkatchila  was  there.  "You 
have  taken  my  flint !  "  cried  he.  "  Give  it  back  !  " 

"  I  have  not  taken  it,"  said  Hau.  "  I  have 
nothing  of  yours.  I  have  just  come." 

"You  have  it.  I  saw  you  take  it,"  said  Kat 
katchila. 

"  I  took  nothing.  I  only  put  my  hand  on  the 
deer's  head." 

"  I  saw  you  take  it." 

"  No,  you  did  not.     I  have  n't  it." 

Katkatchila  kept  asking  all  day  for  his  flint,  but 
Hau  would  neither  give  it  back  nor  own  that  he 
had  it.  At  last,  when  the  sun  was  almost  down, 
Katkatchila  turned  to  Hau  and  said, — 

"  I  saw  you  take  my  flint.  It  would  be  better 
for  you  to  give  it  back  to  me,  better  for  you  and 
very  much  better  for  your  people.  You  want  to 
keep  the  flint ;  well,  keep  it.  You'  will  see  some 
thing  in  pay  for  this,  something  that  will  not  make 
you  glad." 

He  left  the  hunt  and  went  away  in  great  anger, 
travelled  all  night  and  was  at  home  next  morning. 

Torihas's  people  went  back  from  the  hunt,  and 
Hau  with  the  others.  He  went  into  the  sweat- 
house,  took  the  flint  out  of  his  ear  and  held  it  on 
his  palm.  Every  one  came  and  looked  at  it.  It 
was  just  a  small  bit  of  a  thing. 


Olelbis 


"When  I  took  this,"  said  Hau,  "  Katkatchila 
got  very  angry ;  he  left  us  on  the  mountain  and 
went  home." 

All  the  people  stood  around  looking  at  the  flint 
in  Hau's  hand. 

"  You  have  done  wrong,  you  people,"  said  Pat- 
sotchet.  "  Katkatchila  is  very  strong  and  quick ; 
you  will  see  what  he  will  do.  He  has  great  power, 
more  power  than  you  think,  and  he  will  have  ven 
geance.  He  will  make  us  suffer  terribly.  He  is 
stronger  than  we  are.  He  can  do  anything.  You 
will  see  something  dreadful  before  long." 

"  Now,  my  people,"  said  Torihas,  "  come  into 
the  sweat-house  and  we  will  see  what  we  can  do 
with  that  flint." 

All  went  in.  Hau  went  last,  for  he  had  the  flint. 
He  held  it  out,  showed  it  again,  and  said,  "  I  took 
this  because  you  people  wanted  it." 

They  passed  the  flint  from  one  to  another;  all 
looked  at  it,  all  examined  it.  One  old  man  said : 
"  Give  it  to  me  here,  let  me  see  it."  He  got  it  in 
his  hand,  and  said :  "  Now  all  go  outside  of  the 
sweat-house." 

This  was  Hilit  Kiemila.  They  went  out,  leaving 
him  alone.  Patsotchet  kept  on  repeating,  "  Kat 
katchila  is  angry,  he  is  malicious ;  before  long  we 
shall  see  what  will  happen." 

As  soon  as  Hilit  was  alone  in  the  sweat-house, 
he  began  to  rub  the  flint  with  his  hands  and  roll  it 
with  his  legs  (Hilit  was  turned  afterward  into  a 
house-fly,  and  that  is  why  house-flies  keep  rubbing 
their  legs  against  each  other  to  this  day).  He 


i  o      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

wanted  to  make  the  flint  large.  After  he  had 
rolled  and  rubbed  the  flint  all  night,  it  was  four  or 
five  feet  long,  and  as  thick  and  wide.  He  let  the 
block  fall  to  the  ground  and  it  made  a  great  noise, 
a  very  loud  noise ;  people  heard  it  for  a  long  dis 
tance.  Hilit  went  out  then  and  said, — 

"Go  in,  all  you  people,  and  look  at  that  good 
flint." 

They  went  and  looked.  It  was  almost  daylight 
at  the  time,  and  each  one  said, - 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  what  is  best  to  do ;  per 
haps  it  would  be  best  to  send  this  off.  It  may  be 
bad  for  us  to  keep  it  here ;  bad  for  us  to  have  it  in 
the  sweat-house  or  the  village." 

They  did  not  know  who  could  carry  the  great 
block,  it  was  so  heavy.  "  Perhaps  Patsotchet  can 
carry  it,"  said  they. 

Torihas  went  outside  and  called  Patsotchet, 
saying :  "  Come  into  the  sweat-house  a  little  while. 
You  come  seldom  ;  but  come  now." 

Patsotchet  left  his  house,  which  was  near  by,  and 
went  into  the  sweat-house. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  asked  he.  "It 
is  too  late  to  do  anything  now.  I  have  known  a 
long  time  about  Katkatchila.  He  is  very  strong. 
He  will  do  something  terrible  as  soon  as  daylight 
comes." 

"  Patsotchet,"  said  Torihas,  "  you  are  a  good 
man.  I  wish  you  would  take  this  big  flint  and 
carry  it  far  away  off  north." 

"  I  don't  want  to  take  it,"  said  Patsotchet.  "  It 
is  too  heavy." 


Olelbis 


ii 


Torihas  went  to  Karili,  who  lived  a  little  way  off, 
and  said :  "  Come  into  the  sweat-house.  I  wish 
to  talk  with  you." 

Karili  went  in.  "Take  this  block,"  said  Tori- 
has.  "  No  one  is  willing  to  carry  it  away,  but  you 
are  strong.  Carry  it  north  for  me." 

Karili  took  up  the  flint,  but  when  he  had  it  out 
side  the  house  he  said :  "  I  cannot  carry  this.  It 
is  too  heavy.  I  am  not  able  to  carry  it." 

Torihas  called  in  Tichelis,  and  said :  "  My 
uncle,  will  you  take  this  north  for  me  ? " 

"Why  will  not  others  take  it?  Why  are  they 
unwilling  to  carry  it  ?  "  asked  Tichelis.  "  Well,  I 
will  take  it,"  said  he,  after  thinking  a  little ;  and  he 
made  ready. 

"  Take  it  and  start  right  away,"  said  Torihas. 
"  Daylight  is  coming.  Go  straight.  I  will  go,  too, 
and  when  I  am  on  the  top  of  Toriham  Pui  Toror  I 
will  shout,  and  show  you  where  to  put  the  block." 

Tichelis  put  the  flint  on  his  back  and  hurried 
away  with  it. 

When  Katkatchila  reached  home  he  told  his 
brother-in-law,  Tilikus,  and  his  brother-in-law's 
brother,  Poharamas,  and  Yonot,  his  sister,  how  his 
flint  had  been  stolen. 

It  was  just  before  sunrise.  Tilikus  and  Pohara 
mas  went  out  in  front  of  the  house  and  swept  a 
space  clean  and  smooth ;  then  they  ran  off  to  the 
east  and  got  pine  as  full  of  pitch  as  they  could 
find  it.  They  brought  a  great  deal  of  this,  split 
some  very  fine,  and  made  a  large  pile  there  on  the 
smooth  place. 


1 2      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Just  at  this  time  Torihas's  people  were  in  his 
sweat-house  talking  about  the  theft.  "  Nothing 
will  happen,"  said  most  of  them ;  "  old  Patsotchet 
is  always  talking  in  that  way,  foretelling  trouble. 
We  will  dance  to-day.  Tichelis  has  carried  that 
thing  far  away ;  all  will  be  well  now." 

Yonot,  Katkatchila's  sister,  had  one  child,  a  little 
baby  which  she  called  Pohila  (fire  child).  The 
woman  never  left  the  house  herself,  and  never  let 
any  one  carry  the  child  out. 

"  Now,  my  sister,"  said  Katkatchila,  "  bring  your 
child  here ;  bring  my  nephew  out,  and  put  him  on 
that  nice,  smooth  place  which  we  have  swept  clean ; 
it  will  be  pleasant  there  for  him." 

She  brought  the  boy  out,  put  him  on  the  smooth 
place.  Poharamas  was  on  the  southeast  side  all 
ready,  and  Tilikus  on  the  southwest  side.  As 
soon  as  Yonot  put  down  the  baby,  they  pushed 
pitch-pine  sticks  toward  it.  That  instant  fire  blazed 
up.  When  the  fire  had  caught  well  Poharamas  took 
a  large  burning  brand  of  pitch-pine  and  rushed  off 
to  the  southeast ;  Tilikus  took  another  and  ran  to 
the  southwest.  Poharamas,  when  he  reached  the 
southeast  where  the  sky  comes  to  the  earth,  ran 
around  northward  close  to  the  sky ;  he  held  the 
point  of  his  burning  brand  on  the  ground,  and  set 
fire  to  everything  as  he  ran.  When  Tilikus  reached 
the  southwest,  at  the  place  where  the  sky  touches 
the  earth,  he  ran  northward  near  the  sky.  The  two 
brothers  went  swiftly,  leaving  a  line  of  flame  behind 
them,  and  smoke  rose  in  a  cloud  with  the  fire. 

After  the  two   had    started  Yonot    snatched  up 


Olelbis 


Pohila,  and  as  she  raised  the  boy  a  great  flame 
flashed  up  from  the  spot.  She  ran  into  the  house 
with  her  son,  and  put  him  into  the  basket  where 
she  had  kept  him  till  that  morning. 

Torihas's  people  had  begun  to  dance.  Some 
time  after  sunrise  they  saw  a  great  fire  far  away  on 
the  east  and  on  the  west  as  well. 

"  Oh,  look  at  the  fire  on  both  sides  ! "  said  one. 

"  It  is  far  off,  and  won't  come  here,"  said  another. 

"  I  feel  the  heat  already  !  "  cried  a  third. 

Soon  all  saw  that  the  fire  was  coming  toward 
them  from  the  east  and  the  west  like  waves  of  high 
water,  and  the  line  of  it  was  going  northward 
quickly.  The  fire  made  a  terrible  roar  as  it 
burned ;  soon  everything  was  seething.  Every 
where  people  were  trying  to  escape,  all  were  rushing 
toward  the  north.  By  the  middle  of  the  forenoon 
the  heat  and  burning  were  so  great  that  people  be 
gan  to  fall  down,  crying  out,  — 
?  "Oh,  I'm  hot!  'Ah,  I'm  hot!" 

Torihas  made  a  rush  toward  the  north,  and 
reached  the  top  of  Toriham  Pui  Toror.  When  he 
saw  the  fire  coming  very  near  he  called  out  to 
Tichelis,  who  was  struggling  along  with  the  great 
block  of  flint  on  his  back, — 

"  Go  ahead  with  the  flint !  Go  on,  go  on,  the 
fire  is  far  from  here,  far  behind  us  ! " 

Tichelis  heard  the  shouting,  but  said  nothing  ; 
kept  going  northward  steadily.  When  he  was 
northeast  of  Bohem  Puyuk,  he  saw  the  fire  coming 
very  fast,  a  mighty  blaze  roaring  up  to  the  sky. 
It  was  coming  from  the  south,  east,  west.  Tichelis 


1 4     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

could  go  no  farther ;  there  was  no  place  for  escape 
above  ground  ;  the  fire  would  soon  be  where  he  was. 
The  flint  had  grown  very  hot  from  the  burning  ; 
he  threw  it  down  ;  it  had  skinned  his  back,  it  was 
so  hot  and  heavy.  He  ran  under  the  ground,  went 
as  far  as  he  could,  and  lay  there.  Presently  he 
heard  the  fire  roaring  above  him,  the  ground  was 
burning,  he  was  barely  alive ;  soon  all  blazed  up, 
earth,  rocks,  everything. 

Tichelis  went  up  in  flames  and  smoke  toward 
the  sky. 

When  the  brothers  Tilikus  and  Poharamas  had 
carried  the  fire  around  the  world  and  met  in  the 
north,  just  half-way  between  east  and  west,  they 
struck  their  torches  together  and  threw  them  on  the 
ground.  The  moment  before  they  joined  the  burn 
ing  brands  two  persons  rushed  out  between  them. 
One  was  Klabus  and  the  other  Tsaroki,  who  had 
carried  the  invitation  from  Torihas  to  Katkatchila. 
They  just  escaped. 

The  flint  rock  that  Tichelis  dropped  lies  there 
yet,  just  where  it  fell,  and  when  the  Wintu  people 
want  black  flint  they  find  it  in  that  place. 

Poharamas  and  Tilikus  ran  home  as  soon  as  they 
struck  their  torches  together. 

Katkatchila  had  a  little  brother.  He  put  the  boy 
on  his  back,  and  went  beyond  the  sky  where  it 
touches  the  earth  in  the  south. 

Yonot,  the  mother  of  Pohila,  took  her  son  and 
went  behind  the  sky ;  her  husband,  Tilikus,  went 
with  her.  Poharamas  went  to  Olelpanti.  He  flew 
up  to  where  Olelbis  is. 


•lelbis 


Olelbis  looked  down  into  the  burning  world. 
He  could  see  nothing  but  waves  of  flame  ;  rocks 
were  burning,  the  ground  was  burning,  everything 
was  burning.  Great  rolls  and  piles  of  smoke  were 
rising  ;  fire  flew  up  toward  the  sky  in  flames,  in  great 
sparks  and  brands.  Those  sparks  became  kolchituh 
(sky  eyes),  and  all  the  stars  that  we  see  now  in  the 
'  sky  came  from  that  time  when  the  first  world  was 
burned.  The  sparks  stuck  fast  in  the  sky,  and 
have  remained  there  ever  since  the  time  of  the  wak- 
pohas  (world  fire).  Quartz  rocks  and  fire  in  the 
rocks  are  from  that  time.  There  was  no  fire  in  the 
rocks  before  the  wakpohas. 

When  Klabus  escaped  he  went  east  outside  the 
sky,  went  to  a  place  called  Pom  Wai  Hudi  Pom. 
Tsaroki  went  up  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  sky,  — 
ran  up  outside. 

Before  the  fire  began  Olelbis  spoke  to  the  two 
old  women  and  said  :  "  My  grandmothers,  go  to 
work  for  me  and  make  a  foundation.  I  wish  to 
build  a  sweat-house." 

They  dug  out  and  cleared  a  place  for  the  sweat- 
house  the  day  before  the  world-fire  began.  Olelbis 
built  it  in  this  way :  When  the  two  women  had  dug 
the  foundation,  he  asked, — 

"  What  kind  of  wood  shall  I  get  for  the  central 
pillar  of  the  house?" 

"  Go  far  down  south,"  said  the  old  grandmothers, 
"  and  get  a  great  young  white  oak,  pull  it  up  with 
the  roots,  bring  it,  and  plant  it  in  the  middle  to 
support  the  house." 

He  went,  found  the  tree,  and  brought  it. 


1 6      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  Now,  my  grandmothers,  what  shall  I  do  next  ?  " 

"  Go  north  and  bring  a  black  oak  with  the 
roots.  Go  then  to  the  west,  put  your  hand  out 
and  there  you  will  touch  an  oak  different  from 
others." 

He  went  north  and  west,  and  brought  the  twc 
trees. 

"  Now,"  said  Olelbis,  "  I  want  a  tree  from  the 


east." 


"  Go  straight  east  to  a  live-oak  place,  you  can 
see  it  from  here,  get  one  of  those  live-oaks."  He 
brought  it  with  the  roots  and  said,  — 

"  Now  I  want  two  trees  more," 

"  Go  to  the  southeast,"  said  they,  "  where  white 
oaks  grow,  and  get  two  of  them." 

He  went  and  got  two  great  white  oak  trees, 
pulled  them  up  with  the  roots,  brought  them  with 
all  the  branches,  which  were  covered  with  acorns. 

Olelbis  put  the  great  white  oak  from  the  south 
in  the  middle  as  the  central  pillar  ;  then  he  put  the 
northern  black  oak  on  the  north  side ;  he  put  it 
sloping,  so  that  its  branches  were  on  the  south  side 
of  the  house  ;  over  against  this  he  put  a  south 
eastern  white  oak  sloping  in  like  manner,  so  that  its 
head  came  out  on  the  north  side.  The  western  oak 
he  planted  on  the  west  side,  sloping  so  that  its 
branches  hung  on  the  east  side ;  then  he  put  up  the 
two  white  oaks  from  the  southeast  on  the  east  side  : 
six  trees  in  all.  The  top  of  each  tree  was  outside 
opposite  its  roots  ;  acorns  from  it  fell  on  the  oppo 
site  side.  Olelbis  wished  to  fasten  the  trees  firmly 
together  so  they  should  never  loosen. 


Olelbis  17 


"  Stop,  grandson,"  said  one  of  the  old  women. 
"  How  will  you  bind  the  top  ?  " 

"I  have  nothing  to  bind  it  with,"  answered 
Olelbis. 

She  put  her  hand  toward  the  south,  and  on  it 
came  humus  koriluli  (a  plant  with  beautiful  blos 
soms).  She  took  it  with  roots,  stem,  and  blossoms 
and  made  a  long  narrow  mat,  the  stem  and  roots  all 
woven  together  inside  and  the  blossoms  outside. 
"  Here,  grandson,"  said  she,  "  put  this  around  the 
top  of  the  house  and  bind  the  trees  with  it  firmly." 

He  did  this.  The  binding  was  beautiful  and 
very  fragrant.  He  wrapped  it  around  the  trees 
where  they  came  together  at  the  t*p  of  the  house 
inside. 

The  two  old  women  made  four  * -'very  large 
mats  now,  one  for  each  side  of  the  house.  They 
wove  first  a  mat  of  yosoii  (a  plant  about  a  foot  high, 
which  has  no  branches  and  only  a  cluster  of  red 
flowers  at  the  tlp^  When  they  had  finished  it 
they  told  Blelbis  to  put  it  on  the  north  side  of  the 
house. 

"  Now,  my  grandmothers,"  said  Olelbis,  "  I  want 
a  cover  for  the  east  side." 

"My  grandson,"  said  each,  "we  are  sorry  that 
you  are  alone,  sorry  that  you  have  no  one  to  help 
you  in  building  this  house.  Now  take  this  mat 
and  put  it  on  the  east  side." 

They  gave  him  a  mat  made  of  the  same  plant 
that  was  used  for  a  binding  to  hold  the  top  of  the 
house. 

"  I  want  a  cover  now  for  the  south  side." 


1 8      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

The  old  women  put  their  hands  to  the  east,  and  a 
plant  came  to  them  a  foot  high  with  white  blossoms, 
of  very  sweet  odor.  A  great  deal  of  this  plant  came, 
and  they  made  a  mat  of  it.  They  put  all  the  blos 
soms  outside.  The  mat  covered  the  south  side. 

"  Now,  how  shall  I  cover  the  west  side  ?  " 

"  We  have  the  covering  here  already,  made  of  kin- 
tekchi-luli "  (a  plant  with  blue  and  white  blossoms). 

They  put  that  mat  on  the  west  side,  the 
blossoms  turned  outward. 

The  old  women  gave  him  all  kinds  of  beautiful 
plants  now,  and  flowers  to  form  a  great  bank 
around  the  bottom  of  the  sweat-house.  All  kinds 
of  flowers  that  are  in  the  world  now  were  gathered 
around  the  foot  of  that  sweat-house,  an  enormous 
bank  of  them ;  every  beautiful  color  and  every 
sweet  odor  in  the  world  was  there. 

When  they  went  into  the  sweat-house,  the  per 
fume  was  delightful.  The  two  old  women  said  then  : 

cc  All  people  to  come  in  the  world  below  will 
talk  of  this  house,  and  call  it  Olelpanti  Hlut  when 
they  tell  about  it  and  praise  the  house  on  high/' 

Olelbis  said  :  "  I  want  to  lay  something  lengthwise 
on  each  side  of  the  door.  What  shall  I  get  P  " 

The  two  said:  "We  will  get  sau"  (acorn  bread 
made  in  a  great  round  roll  like  a  tree-trunk). 

They  got  sau,  and  put  a  roll  at  each  side  of  the 
door;  these  rolls  were  put  there  for  people  to 
sit  on. 

Olelbis  walked  around,  looked  at  everything,  and 
said,  — 

"  I  want  this    house  to  grow,  to    be  wide    and 


Olelbis  1 9 


high,  to  be  large  enough  for  all  who  will  ever  come 


to  it." 


Then  the  house  began  to  extend  and  grow  wider 
and  higher,  and  it  became  wonderful  in  size  and  in 
splendor.  Just  as  daylight  was  coming  the  house 
was  finished  and  ready.  It  stood  there  in  the 
morning  dawn,  a  mountain  of  beautiful  flowers  and 
oak-tree  branches ;  all  the  colors  of  the  world  were 
on  it,  outside  and  inside.  The  tree  in  the  middle 
was  far  above  the  top  of  the  house,  and  filled 
with  acorns ;  a  few  of  them  had  fallen  on  every 
side. 

That  sweat-house  was  placed  there  to  last  forever, 
the  largest  and  most  beautiful  building  in  the  world, 
above  or  below.  Nothing  like  it  will  ever  be  built 
again. 

"  Now,  my  grandson,"  said  the  old  women,  "  the 
house  is  built  and  finished.  All  the  people  in  the 
world  will  like  this  house.  They  will  talk  about  it 
and  speak  well  of  it  always.  This  house  will  last 
forever,  and  these  flowers  will  bloom  forever ;  the 
roots  from  which  they  grow  can  never  die." 

The  world  fire  began  on  the  morning  after  the 
sweat-house  was  finished.  During  the  fire  they 
could  see  nothing  of  the  world  below  but  flames  and 
smoke.  Olelbis  did  not  like  this. 

"Grandson,"  said  the  old  women,  "we  will  tell 
you  what  to  do  to  put  out  that  terrible  wakpohas. 
There  is  a  very  old  man,  Kahit  Kiemila,  and  he  lives 
far  north  toward  the  east,  outside  the  first  sky.  He 
stays  there  in  one  little  place;  he  is  all  alone,  and 
always  in  the  same  place.  Tell  him  what  to  do, 


2O      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

and  he  will  do  it.  If  you  don't  like  the  fire  and 
smoke  down  below,  tell  the  old  man  to  turn  his 
face  toward  you,  to  come  this  way  and  to  bring 
with  him  Mem  Loimis.  He  sits  with  his  head 
between  his  hands  and  his  face  to  the  north,  and 
never  looks  up.  The  place  where  he  sits  is  called 
Waiken  Pom  Pui  Humok  Pom." 

The  first  person  who  came  to  Olelbis  on  the 
day  of  the  fire  was  Kiriu  Herit.  He  came  about 
daylight. 

"  You  have  finished  the  sweat-house,  my  nephew," 
said  he. 

"  I  have,"  said  Olelbis,  "  but  we  are  going  to  have 
trouble,  and  do  you,  my  uncle,  go  up  on  the  west 
side  of  the  sweat-house,  look  around  everywhere, 
and  tell  me  what  you  see." 

Kiriu  went  to  the  top  of  the  house  and  looked. 
Soon  another  man  came  and  said,  "  My  brother, 
you  have  finished  the  sweat-house." 

"  Yes,"  said  Olelbis,  "  and  do  you,  my  brother, 
go  up  on  the  east  side  of  the  house,  stand  there,  and 
call  to  Kahit." 

This  was  Lutchi  Herit.  Two  more  came  and 
saluted  Olelbis.  "  Go  into  the  sweat-house,"  said 
he.  These  were  the  two  brothers,  Tilichi.  A  fifth 
person  came,  Kuntihle,  and  then  a  sixth,  Sutunut,  a 
great  person.  Lutchi  kept  darting  around,  looking 
toward  the  north  and  calling :  "  Kahit  cannot  take 
me  !  Kahit  cannot  take  me  !  "  Kahit  was  getting 
angry  by  this  time,  and  thinking  to  turn  and  look 
at  Lutchi,  for  though  far  away,  he  heard  the  noise 
of  his  darting  and  his  calling.  "  That  old  Kahit 


Olelbis  21 


may  come  out,  but  he  cannot  catch  me ! "  called 
Lutchi,  as  he  darted  around,  always  watching  the 
north.  t^^ 

Now  Olelbis  called  Lutchi  and  Sutunut,  and  said  : 
"You,  Lutchi,  go  north,  pry  up  the  sky  and  prop 
it ;  here  is  a  sky  pole  and  a  sky  prop."  Turning 
to  Sutunut,  he  plucked  a  feather  from  each  of  his 
wings  and  said :  "  Go  to  KJarnt  in  Waiken  Pom  Pui 
Humpk  Pom  ;  tell  him  to  come  south  with  Mem 
Loimis.  She  lives  not  far  from  him.  Her  house 
is  in  the  ground.  And  tell  him  to  blow  his  whistle 
with  all  his  breath.  Put  these  two  feathers  on  his 
cheeks  just  in  front  of  his  ears." 

Lutchi  went  quickly.  No  one  could  travel  as 
fast  as  he.  He  reached  the  sky  on  the  north, 
raised  and  propped  it.  Sutunut  gave  the  message 
to  Kahit,  who  raised  his  head  from  between  his 
hands  slowly  and  turned  toward  the  south.  Sutu 
nut  put  the  feathers  in  his  cheeks  then,  as  Olelbis 
had  commanded. 

One  person,  Sotchet,  who  lived  just  south  of 
Kahit,  spoke  up  now  and  said, — 

"  Go  ahead,  Kahit.  I  am  in  a  hurry  to  see  my 
father,  Olelbis.  I  will  follow  you.  I  am  drinking 
my  mother's  milk."  (He  was  doing  that  to  bring 
great  water.)  His  mother  was  Mem  Loimis. 

"Come  with  me,  Mem'  Loimis,"  said  Kahit  to 
Sotchet's  mother.  "When  I  start,  go  ahead  a 
little.  I  will  help  you  forward." 

Olelbis  was  watching,  and  thought,  "  Kahit  is 
ready  to  start,  and  Mem  Loimis  is  with  him." 

Olelbis  made  then  an  oak  paddle,  and  hurled  it 


22      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

to  where  Sotchet  was.  Sotchet  caught  the  paddle, 
made  a  tail  of  it,  put  it  on,  and  went  plashing  along 
through  the  w^terv.  Not  far  from  Kahit  lived  an 
old  woman,  Yohonhit  Pokaila.  She  made  a  basket 
of  white  willow,  and  finished  it  just  as  Mem  Loimis 
was  ready  to  start.  In  the  same  place  was  Sosini 
Herit,  just  ready  to  move.  In  one  hand  he 
held  a  bow  and  arrows,  with  the  other  he  was 
to  swim. 

Olelbis  saw  all  this,  —  saw  and  knew  what  people 
were  doing  or  preparing  to  do.  "  Grandmothers," 
said  he,  "  Mem  Loimis  is  ready  to  move.  Kahit 
is  ready.  All  the  people  around  them  will  follow." 

The  great  fire  was  blazing,  roaring  all  over  the 
earth,  burning  rocks,  earth,  trees,  people,  burning 
everything. 

Mem  Loimis  started,  and  with  her  Kahit.  Water 
rushed  in  through  the  open  place  made  by  Lutchi 
when  he  raised  the  sky.  It  rushed  in  like  a  crowd 
of  rivers,  covered  the  earth,  and  put  out  the  fire  as 
it  rolled  on  toward  the  south.  There  was  so  much 
water  outside  that  could  not  come  through  that  it 
rose  to  the  top  of  the  sky  and  rushed  on  toward 
Olelpanti. 

Olelbis  went  to  the  top  of  the  sweat-house  and 
stood  looking  toward  the  '  north.  Sula  Kiemila 
and  Toko  Kiemila  had  come  that  morning.  "  Take 
your  places  north  of  the  sweat-house,"  said  Olelbis, 
and  they  did  so.  Olelbis  saw  everything  coming 
toward  him  in  the  water  from  the  north,  all  kinds 
of  people  who  could  swim.  They  were  so  many 
that  no  one  could  count  them.  Before  he  had 


Olelbis 


built  the  sweat-house,  the  two  grandmothers  had 
said  to  Olelbis :  "  Go  far  south  and  get  pilok, 
which  is  a  tall  plant  with  a  strong  fibre,  and  make 
a  cord."  He  did  so,  and  twisted  a  strong  cord 
from  pilok.  Of  this  he  made  a  sling.  He  put 
his  hand  to  the  west,  and  kilson  came  on  it,  a  round 
white  stone  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter.  He 
put  the  stone  in  the  sling,  tied  the  sling  around  his 
head,  and  kept  it  there  always. 

He  took  this  sling  in  his  hand  now,  and  stood 
watching  ready  to  throw  the  stone  at  something 
that  was  coming  in  the  water.  Olelbis  threw  with 
his  left  hand.  He  was  left-handed,  and  for  this 
reason  was  called  Nomhlyestawa  (throwing  west 
with  the  left  hand). 

Mem  Loimis  went  forward,  and  water  rose  moun 
tains  high.  Following  closely  after  Mem  Loimis 
came  Kahit.  He  had  a  whistle  in  his  mouth  ;  as  he 
moved  forward  he  blew  it  with  all  his  might,  and 
made  a  terrible  noise.  The  whistle  was  his  own ; 
he  had  had  it  always.  He  came  flying  and  blowing. 
He  looked  like  an  enormous  bat,  with  wings  spread. 
As  he  flew  south  toward  the  other  side  of  the  sky, 
his  two  cheek  feathers  grew  straight  out,  became 
immensely  long,  waved  up  and  down,  grew  till  they 
could  touch  the  sky  on  both  sides. 

While  Kahit  flew  on  and  was  blowing  his  whistle, 
old  Yoholmit  lay  in  her  basket ;  she  floated  in  it 
high  on  the  great  waves,  and  laughed  and  shouted, 
"Ho!  ho!" 

"How  glad  my  aunt  is  to  see  water;  hear  how 
she  laughs!"  said  Olelbis.  And  he  gave  her  two 


24     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

new  names,  Surut  Womulmit  (hair-belt  woman)  and 
Mem  Hlosmulmit  (water-foam  woman).  "  Look 
at  my  aunt,"  said  Olelbis  again.  "  She  is  glad  to 
see  water ! " 

As  Yoholmit  was  laughing  and  shouting  she 
called  out, — 

"Water,  you  be  big!  Grow  all  the  time!  Be 
deep  so  that  I  can  float  and  float  on,  float  all  my 
life." 

Olelbis  was  watching  everything  closely.  Sosini 
Herit  was  coming.  He  held  a  bow  and  arrows  in 
one  hand  and  swam  with  the  other.  He  was  next 
behind  old  Yoholmit. 

"  Look  at  my  brother,  Sosini,  look  at  him  swim 
ming,"  said  Olelbis.  When  mountains  of  water 
were  coming  near  swiftly,  Olelbis  said  to  the  two 
old  women,  "  Go  into  the  sweat-house."  The  two 
brothers,  Kuntihle  and  Tede  Wiu,  went  in  also. 
Olelbis  stood  ready  to  use  his  sling.  When  Yohol 
mit  was  coming  near,  he  hurled  a  stone  at  her.  He 
did  not  hit  her.  He  did  not  wish  to  hit  her.  He 
hit  the  basket  and  sent  her  far  away  east  in  it  until 
the  basket  struck  the  sky. 

When  the  water  reached  Toko,  it  divided,  went 
east  and  west,  went  no  farther  south  in  Olelpanti. 
At  this  time  Olelbis  saw  a  hollow  log  coming  from 
the  north.  On  it  were  sitting  a  number  of  Tede 
Memtulit  and  Bisus  people.  Just  behind  the  log 
came  some  one  with  a  big  willow-tree  in  his  mouth, 
sometimes  swimming  east,  sometimes  swimming 
west.  He  slapped  the  water  with  his  new  tail, 
making  a  loud  noise.  This  was  Sotchet,  the  son 


Olelbis  25 


of  Mem  Loimis.  Olelbis  struck  the  log  with  a 
stone  from  his  sling,  and  threw  it  far  away  west 
with  all  the  Memtulits  on  it  except  one,  which 
came  to  the  sweat-house  and  said,  — 

"  My  brother,  I  should  like  to  stay  with  you 
here."  This  was  Tede  Memtulit. 

"Stay  here,"  said  Olelbis. 

Next  came  Wokwuk.  He  was  large  and  beauti 
ful,  and  had  very  red  eyes.  When  Kahit  came  fly 
ing  toward  the  sweat-house,  and  was  still  north  of 
it,  Olelbis  cried  to  him,  — 

"  My  uncle,  we  have  had  wind  enough  and  water 
enough  ;  can  you  not  stop  them  ?  " 

Kahit  flew  off  toward  the  east  and  sent  Mem 
Loimis  back.  "  Mem  Loimis,"  said  he,  "  you 
are  very  large  and  very  strong,  but  I  am  stronger. 
Go  back  !  If  not,  I  will  stop  you.  Go  home  !  " 

Mem  Loimis  went  back  north,  went  into  the 
ground  where  she  had  lived  before.  Kahit  went 
east,  then  turned  and  went  north  to  where  he 
had  been  at  first,  and  sat  down  again  in  silence 
with  his  head  between  his  hands. 

When  Mem  Loimis  and  Kahit  had  gone  home, 
all  water  disappeared ;  it  was  calm,  dry,  and  clear 
again  everywhere.  Olelbis  looked  down  on  the 
earth,  but  could  see  nothing :  no  mountains,  no 
trees,  no  ground,  nothing  but  naked  rocks  washed 
clean.  He  stood  and  looked  in  every  direction, — 
looked  east,  north,  west,  south,  to  see  if  he  could 
find  anything.  He  found  nothing.  After  a  time 
he  saw  in  the  basin  of  a  great  rock  some  water,  all 
that  was  left.  The  rock  was  in  Tsarau  Heril. 


26      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  My  grandmothers,"  asked  Olelbis,  "  what  shall 
I  do  now  ?  Look  everywhere,  there  is  nothing 
in  the  world  below  but  naked  rocks.  I  don't 
like  it." 

"  Wait  awhile,  grandson,"  said  they.  "  We  will 
look  and  see  if  we  can  find  something  somewhere. 
Perhaps  we  can." 

On  this  earth  there  was  no  river,  no  creek,  no 
water  in  any  place  but  that  water  at  Tsarau  Heril. 
This  was  the  morning  after  Mem  Loimis  had  gone 
home. 

Now  a  person  came  from  the  east  to  Olelpanti, 
Klabus  Rent.  "  My  uncle,"  said  Olelbis  to  Kla- 
bus,  "  I  am  looking  all  over  the  world  below,  but 
can  see  nothing  on  it.  Do  you  know  any  place 
beyond  the  sky  on  the  north,  south, -east,  or  west, 
where  there  is  earth  ?  " 

"  I  know  no  place  where  there  is  earth,"  said 
Klabus. 

Soon  another  person,  Yilahl  Herit,  was  seen  com 
ing  from  the  west.  When  he  came  up,  Olelbis 
asked,  — 

"  My  uncle,  do  you  know  of  earth,  or  trees,  or 
people  in  any  place  beyond  the  sky  ?  " 

"  I  do  not,"  answered  Yilahl.  "  But  are  you  all 
well  here  ?  " 

"We  are  well  and  unharmed,"  answered  Olelbis. 

cc  How  did  you  come  here  ?  Which  way  did 
you  come  ?  Where  did  you  stay  that  the  world 
fire  did  not  burn  you  ?  "  asked  Klabus  of  Yilahl. 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  said  Yilahl.  «  When  the  fire 
began,  I  went  west,  I  went  under  the  sky  where  it 

\ 


Olelbis  27 


touches  the  lower  world,  I  went  out  to  the  other 
side.  The  fire  did  not  go  there.  There  is  earth 
now  in  that  place." 

"  My  uncles,"  said  Olelbis,  "  I  want  you  both  to 
go  down,  to  go  west,  and  get  that  earth  for  me." 

"  I  will  go,"  said  Klabus ;  and  turning  to  the  two 
old  women  he  said :  "  Give  me  two  baskets,  very 
large  round  baskets." 

The  old  women  made  two  very  large  baskets. 
Klabus  took  these  and  went  west  with  Yilahl. 
As  soon  as  they  started  Olelbis  took  a  great  sky 
net  (kolchi  koro),  and  it  spread  out ;  it  reached 
to  the  ends  of  the  sky  in  every  direction ;  it  was 
full  of  small,  fine  holes,  like  a  sieve.  He  spread 
it  out  in  Olelpanti ;  put  it  under  his  sweat-house. 
It  is  above  this  world  yet,  but  we  cannot  see  it. 

Klabus  and  Yilahl  went  west  to  where  the  earth 
was.  Klabus  dug  it  up  and  filled  the  baskets 
quickly ;  went  to  the  north  side  of  the  sweat-house 
and  threw  the  earth  into  the  great  net,  then  hurried 
back  and  brought  more  earth  and  threw  it  on  the 
net.  It  went  through  the  net  and  fell  down  here, 
fell  on  the  rocks  in  this  world  like  rain. 

Klabus  hurried  back  and  forth  very  quickly, 
carrying  one  basket  on  each  arm.  He  was  going 
and  coming  for  five  days  and  five  nights ;  fine  earth 
was  falling  all  this  time,  till  the  rocks  were  covered, 
and  there  was  plenty  of  earth  everywhere. 

Yilahl  gave  no  help.  He  went  down  the  first 
time  with  Klabus,  showed  him  the  earth,  and 
stayed  there,  but  he  did  not  help  to  carry  earth 
or  to  dig  it. 


28      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

When  Klabus  had  covered  all  the  rocks  with 
good  earth,  Olelbis  told  him  to  rest. 

"  Go  west  and  tell  Yilahl  to  help  you,"  said 
Olelbis  to  Klabus  the  next  morning,  after  he  had 
rested.  "  Tell  him  to  work  with  you,  fixing  the 
earth  which  you  have  thrown  down.  Go,  both 
of  you  ;  make  mountains,  hills,  and  level  country  ; 
arrange  everything/' 

No  fire  was  visible  anywhere ;  every  bit  had  been 
quenched  by  the  flood  which  came  in  after  Lutchi 
propped  up  the  sky.  Yilahl  came  out  into  this 
world  below  from  under  the  edge  of  the  sky  in 
the  west,  and  Klabus  came  out  from  under  it  in 
the  east.  Both  met  and  went  to  work.  Yilahl 
made  the  small  hills  and  fixed  the  rolling  country. 
Klabus  raised  the  great  mountains  and  mountain 
ranges.  There  was  nothing  but  earth  and  rock 
yet ;  no  people  at  work  only  these  two,  Klabus 
and  Yilahl. 

Olelbis  stood  watching  and  looking ;  he  looked 
five  days,  found  no  fire  in  any  place.  Next  day 
he  saw  a  little  smoke  in  the  southwest  coming 
straight  up  as  if  through  a  small  opening.  Olel 
bis  had  a  Winishuyat  on  his  head  tied  in  his  hair, 
and  the  Winishuyat  said  to  him, — 

"  My  brother,  look ;  there  is  a  little  fire  away  down 
south  ;  a  woman  there  has  fire  in  a  small  basket." 

This  woman  was  Yonot,  the  mother  of  Pohila, 
who  had  gone  back  to  live  in  her  old  house. 

"  My  brother,"  said  Olelbis,  turning  to  Tede 
Wiu,  "  do  you  see  that  place  there  ?  Go  and  bring 
fire  from  it." 


Olelbis 


29 


Tede  Wiu  went  quickly  to  the  place  where  Olel 
bis  had  seen  the  smoke.  He  found  a  house,  and 
looking  through  a  crack  he  saw  the  glow  of  fire, 
but  not  the  fire  itself. 

Tede  Wiu  stayed  five  days  and  nights  watching. 
He  could  not  get  into  the  house  where  the  basket 
was.  That  house  was  closed  firmly,  and  had  no  door. 
At  last  he  went  back  to  •lelpanti  without  fire.O  O 

"  I  should  like  to  catch  the  fish  which  I  see 
jumping  in  that  southern  water,"  said  Kuntihle, 
"  but  we  could  not  cook  fish  if  we  had  it,  for  we 
have  no  fire."  jjtf  OffiO 

"  You  would  better  go  yourself  and  try  to  get 
fire,"  said  Olelbis. 

Kuntihle  went  and  watched  five  days.  He  could 
not  get  into  the  house,  and  no  fire  fell  out.  He 
went  back  to  Olelpanti. 

"  We  need  fire,"  said  Olelbis,  "  but  how  are  we 
to  get  it?  Go  again  and  try,"  said  he  to  Tede 
Wiu ;  "  watch  till  fire  falls  out,  or  go  in  and  take 


some." 


Klabus  and  Yilahl  were  at  work  yet. 

Tede  Wiu  went,  crept  under  the  house,  watched 
five  days  and  nights,  stayed  right  under  the  basket 
in  which  Pohila  was.  On  the  sixth  morning,  very 
early,  just  at  daybreak,  a  spark  of  fire  fell  out. 
Tede  Wiu  caught  the  spark,  ran  off  quickly  to 
Olelbis,  and  gave  it  to  him. 

They  had  fire  in  Olelpanti  now,  and  were  glad. 
Neither  Yonot,  the  mother,  nor  Tilikus,  the  father 
of  Pohila,  knew  that  fire  had  been  carried  away  to 
Olelpanti. 


30      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Klabus  and  Yilahl  were  still  at  work  making  the 
mountains  and  valleys,  and  had  almost  finished. 

Now  that  there  was  fire  in  Olelpanti,  Kuntihle 
said :  "  I  will  go  and  see  that  fish.  Tilitchi,  will 
you  come  with  me  ?  " 

Tilitchi  went.  Before  they  started  Olelbis  gave 
them  a  fish  net.  They  caught  a  fish,  and  went 
back,  dressed,  cooked,  and  ate  it. 

"  This  is  a  good  fish,"  said  Olelbis.  "  How  did 
it  get  into  that  water?  That  pond  in  the  rock  is 
small  and  round;  there  is  no  water  to  run  into  it. 
Grandmothers,  vi^B^Jiall  we  do  with  this  pond 
and  the  fish  in  it  ? " 

"We  will  tell  you/'  said  the  old  women.  "Go 
to  the  west  under  the  sky,  break  off  a  strip  of 
the  sky7l5rmg  it  here,  and  make  a  pointed  pole 
of  it/' 

Klabus  and  Yilahl  were  just  putting  the  top 
on  Bohem  Puyuk ;  all  the  other  mountains  in  the 
world  were  finished. 

Olelbis  went  west,  got  the  sky  pole,  and  pointed 
one  end  of  it.  He  stuck  the  pole  down  at  the  foot 
of  Bohem  Puyukj  drew  the  point  of  it  along  south 
ward,  making  a  deep  furrow.  Then  he  stuck  the 
pole  far  north,  and  made  a  second  furrow  to  join  the 
eastern  end  of  the  first  one.  There  was  no  water 
in  either  furrow  yet,  and  Olelbis  said, ^ 

"  Now,  my  grandmothers,  what  shall  I  do  next  ?  " 

"  Take  this  grapevine  root,"  said  they.  "  Throw 
it  to  the  place  where  you  thrust  in  the  pole  at  the 
foot  of  Bohem  Puyuk." 

He  threw  the  root.  **One  end  of  it  went  into  the 


Olelbis  3 


the  other  hung  out;  from  this  water 
flowed. 

"This  will  be  called  Wini  Mem,"  said  the 
grandmothers.  "  The  country  around  it  will  be 
good  ;  many  people  will  go  there  t^iv^  in  the 
future."  I  <N 

The  grandmothers  gave  a  second  root,  a  tule 
root,  and  Olelbis  threw  this  far  up  north,  where 
one  end  stuck  in  the  ground  as  had  the  grapevine 
root,  and  from  the  other  end  flowed  Pui  Mem 
—  there  is  much  tule  at  the  head  of  PulMem  to 
this  day.  ^fj  ^^5*^  - 

Olelbis  took  his  sky  pole  again  and  made  deep 
furrows  down  southward  from  Bohema  Mem,  large 
ones  for  large  rivers  and  smaller  ones  for  creeks. 
Water  flowed  and  filled  the  furrows,  flowed  south 
ward  till  it  reached  the  place  where  Kuntihle  found 
the  first  fish ;  and  when  the  large  river  reached  that 
little  pond,  fish  went  out  of  it  into  the  river,  and 
from  the  river  into  all  creeks  and  rivers. 

When  the  rivers  were  finished,  and  water  was 
running  in  them,  Olelbis  saw  an  acorn  tree  in  the 
east,  outside  the  sky.  He  looked  on  the  north  side 
of  the  tree  and  saw  some  one  hammering.  He 
hurled  a  stone  from  his  sling,  struck  down  the  per 
son,  and  sent  Tilitchi  to  bring  him.  Tilitchi 
brought  him. 

"  Of  what  people  is  this  one  ?  "  asked  he  of  the 
old  women. 

"  He  is  of  a  good  people,"  answered  they.  "  Put 
him  on  the  central  pillar  of  the  sweat-house ;  we 

call  him  Tsurat." 

\V 

*A 


?2      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

.,.<r-*>^          

Tsiirat^as  only  stunned.  When  Tsurat  was  taken 
to  the  central  pillar,  he  climbed  it,  stopping  every 
little  while  and  hammering.  The  sound  which  he 
made,  "Ya-tuck  !  ya-tuck!  "  was  heard  outside  the 
sweat-house,  —  a  good  sound ;  all  liked  to  hear  it. 

Olelbis  saw  on  the  same  tree  another  of  the  same 
family.  Whenjie  \^as^  brought,  the  old  women  said, 
"  This  is  Min  Taitai ;  put  him  on  the  ground  east 
of  the  fire  "  —  the  fire  was  in  the  middle. 

Min  Taitai  began  to  talk  to  himself.  They 
could  hear  two  words,  "  Wit,  wit !  "  (coming  back, 
coming  back).  ^^fc 

Olelbis  stunned  a  third  person,  who  was  brought 
by  Tilitchi.  The  old  wpng^i  said,  "  He,  too,  is  of 
a  good  people,  he  is  Hessiha ;  let  him  be  with  Min 
Taitai,  and  put  a  basket  of  red  earth  and  water  near 
them." 

Min  Taitai  talked  on  to  himself,  "  Wit,  wit !  " 

"  Who  is  c  Wit,  wit  ? '  "  asked  Hessiha. 

"  Sas "  (the  sun),  answered  Min  Taitai,  "  was 
going  down,  and  now  he  is  coming  back ;  that  is 
who  <  Wit,  wit '  "  is." 

"Who  is  coming  back?  "  asked  Hessiha. 

"  Sas  is  coming  back." 

"  Sas  is  not  coming  back,  he  is  going  on." 

(In  winter  Sas  goes  down  -south,  and  in  summer 
he  comes  back  north.  Min  Taitai  was  saying  Sas 
is  coming  back,  up  north.  Hessiha  thought  he  was 
saying  Sas  has  gone  down  toward  the  west,  and  now 
is  coming  back  east  without  setting.) 

"  Wit,  wit "  (coming  back,  coming  back),  said 
Min  Taitai. 


Olelbis 


33 


"  Cherep,  cherep  !  "  (going  on,  going  on),  said 
Hessiha. 

Soon  they  came  to  blows,  began  to  fight ;  when 
fighting,  Hessiha  took  red  mud  from  the  basket 
and  threw  it.  Min  Taitai  took  mud,  too,  and  threw 
it  at  Hessiha.  Both  were  soon  covered  with  mud 
and  water. 

Clover,  beautiful  grasses,  and  plants  of  all  kinds 
were  growing  around  the  sweat-house  in  Olelpanti. 
The  whole  place  was  a  mass  of  blossoms.  "  Now, 
my  grandmothers,"  said  Olelbis,  "  tell  me  what  you 
think.  All  that  ground  below  us  is  bare  ;  there  is 
nothing  on  it.  What  can  we  do  for  it  ?  " 

"  ^7  grandson,  in  a  place  southeast  of  this  is  a 
house  in  which  people  live.  The  place  is  called 
Hlihli  Pui  Hlutton  [acorn  eastern  sweat-house 
place].  An  old  man  lives  there.  Send  Tsurat  to 
bring  that  old  man  to  us." 

"  I  will,"  said  Olelbis ;  and  he  sent  Tsurat,  who 
brought  Hlihli  Kiemila,  who  had  lived  all  his  life 
in  that  eastern  sweat-house.  When  Olelbis  looked 
at  the  old  man,  he  said  to  Tsurat :  "  Go  to  the 
world  beneath  us  with  Hlihli.  Carry  him  all  over 
it,  —  north,  south,  east,  and  west." 

Hlihli  was  like  an  old  worm-eaten  acorn  outside; 
inside  he  was  like  meal  or  snuff,  and  when  he 
moved  this  inside  sifted  out  of  him.  He  had  a 
daughter,  Hlihli  Loimis,  and  she  had  many  sons. 

Tsurat  carried  Hlihli  all  over  the  world,  and 
when  he  had  carried  him  five  days  little  oak  bushes 
were  springing  up  everywhere  from  the  dust  which 
fell  from  him.  They  took  seeds  of  clover  growing 

3 


34      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

around  the  sweat-house  in  Olelpanti  and  scattered 
them ;  clover  grew  up  in  every  place.  Olelbis 
threw  down  all  kinds  of  flower  seeds  from  the 
flowers  blossoming  in  Olelpanti. 

A  little  way  east  of  Olelbis's  sweat-house  lived 
Sedit.  At  the  time  of  the  fire  he  ran  through  under 
the  sky  in  the  south  and  went  up  on  the  sky  to 
Olelpanti.  He  stayed  there  with  Olelbis  until  the 
fire  and  water  stopped.  Then  he  went  east  a  short 
distance,  and  made  a  house  for  himself.  During 
the 'great  water  Sedit  caught  Wokwuk,  and  after 
ward  built  a  house  near  his  own  for  him. 

There  was  a  big  rock  east  of  Sedit's  house. 
Olelbis  saw  Chuluhl  sitting  on  this  rock,  and  he 
said,  — 

"  My  brother,  I  have  put  clever  on  the  earth. 
I  want  you  to  go  down  there  and  stay  with  that 
clover,  stay  with  it  always.  The  place  is  a  good 
one  for  you."  This  place  was  Tokuston  on  Pui 
Mem.  "  Take  this  pontcheuchi  [headband  made 
of  dew],  wear  it  around  your  head,  wear  it  always, 
guard  the  clover,  put  your  head  among  its  leaves, 
and  keep  the  grass  and  clover  wet  and  green  all 
the  time.  I  will  take  that  rock  from  near  Sedit's 
house,  and  put  it  down  on  the  earth  for  you." 
(The  rock  stands  now  about  fifty  miles  above  Pas- 
puisono.  It  is  called  Pui  Toleson  —  rock  leaning 
east.) 

Wokwuk  at  the  time  of  the  great  water  lost  the 
middle  and  longest  finger  on  one  hand ;  it  went  far 
north,  and  after  a  time  became  a  deer,  and  from 
that  deer  came  all  the  deer  in  the  world  after  the 


Olelbis  35 


fire.  When  Kahit  and  Mem  Loimis  went  east  on 
the  way  home,  Wokwuk  lost  a  small  feather  from 
above  one  of  his  eyes.  It  went  west  and  was 
turned  into  the  beautiful  shells  tsanteris.  He  also 
lost  two  neck  feathers.  They  went  west  and  be 
came  kalas,  and  from  that  came  all  pearl  shells. 
He  lost  the  tip  of  his  little  finger.  It  went  west 
and  became  the  Wokwuk  bird  down  here.  He 
lost  some  spittle.  It  went  east  on  the  water  and 
turned  to  blue  beads,  such  as  people  wear  now 
around  their  necks.  Wokwuk  lost  a  small  bit  of 
his  intestines.  It  went  south  on  the  water  and 
became  mempak ;  from  that  come  all  mempak 
(water  bone).  He  lost  a  piece  of  his  backbone. 
It  went  east  on  the  water  and  became  an  elk,  and 
from  that  elk  came  all  elks. 

One  day  Sedit  said  to  Olelbis,  when  all  were 
telling  Olelbis  what  they  were  going  to  do : 
"  Grandson,  I  am  going  to  take  off  my  skin  and 
let  it  go  to  the  world  below." 

"  Do  so,"  said  Olelbis. 

„  Sedit  took  off  his  skin  as  he  would  a  coat,  and 
threw  it  down  to  this  world. 

"  Now  there  will  be  Sedits  all  over  down  there," 
said  he.  f  «  ••  Q+<%^& 

While  01elbis  was  gathering  into  Olelpanti  all 
the  people  from  every  place  outside  this  sky  above 
us,  Min  Taitai  and  Hessiha  were  disputing  and 
throwing  red  mud  at  each  other. 

Olelbis  gathered  people  from  every  side  till 
he  had  gathered  them  all  at  his  house.  They 
were  there  in  crowds  and  in  thousands,  singing 


36      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

and  talking  inside  and  outside,  everywhere  in 
Olelpanti. 

One  morning  Olelbis  said  to  the  old  women,  — 

"  My  grandmothers,  I  cannot  tell  what  to  do  nor 
how  to  get  what  I  want,  but  far  west  of  here  is  a 
ridge  that  stretches  from  the  south  to  the  north, 
and  on  that  ridge  people  of  some  kind  come  from 
the  south  and  hurry  north ;  they  do  that  every 
day ;  they  go  north  along  that  ridge,  and  I  do  not 
know  what  kind  of  people  they  are.  When  they 
are  on  the  top  of  the  ridge,  they  run  north  very 
swiftly.  As  soon  as  Klabus  and  Yilahl  finished  the 
level  ground  and  the  hills  and  mountains  in  the 
world  below,  these  people  began  to  travel  along 
the  ridge  in  this  way,  and  they  have  been  going 
north  ever  since." 

"  You  do  not  know  those  people,"  said  the  old 
women,  "  but  we  know  them,  the  Katkatchila 
brothers  know  them  ;  they  are  Kahsuku,  the  cloud 
dogs,  the  cloud  people.  If  you  wish  to  know  more 
about  these  cloud  people,  ask  the  elder  Katkatchila ; 
he  knows  them ;  he  lives  far  west  at  this  time ;  go 
and  ask  him,  go  yourself." 

Olelbis  set  out  next  morning  early,  and  just 
before  he  reached  Katkatchila's  house  in  the  west 
he  came  upon  some  one  who  was  stooping  and 
looking  toward  the  south.  It  was  the  elder  Kat 
katchila,  who  was  watching  the  cloud  people. 

"  Stop,  my  brother,"  said  Katkatchila,  "  and 
watch  with  me." 

The  two  looked  along  the  ridge  toward  the 
south  —  it  was  before  sunrise  then — and  they  saw 


Olelbis 


37 


a  person  come  a  little  way  in  sight,  then  turn  and 
go  back.  He  did  not  come  nearer  because  he  saw 
Olelbis.  The  cloud  people  are  very  timid ;  they 
can  see  a  long  distance,  and  have  a  very  keen 
scent.  When  he  saw  Olelbis,  this  one  ran  away 
home. 

"  My  brother,"  said  Katkatchila  to  Olelbis,  "  we 
have  been  watching  here  to  drive  back  these  cloud 
people.  We  have  watched  night  and  day,  I  and 
my  little  brother.  My  brother  is  near  the  eastern 
slope  of  this  ridge  which  runs  north  and  south ; 
he  stays  there  and  watches." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  cloud  people  ? "  asked 
Olelbis  ;  u  what  kind  of  people  are  they  ?.  I  have 
seen  only  the  head  and  neck  of  one ;  what  I  saw 
looked  well,  seemed  good.  I  wish  you,  my 
brothers,  would  catch  one  of  these  people,  if  you 


can." 


"  How  is  it  that  you  do  not  know  these  people  ?  " 
asked  Katkatchila.  "  You  ought  to  know  them ; 
you  have  seen  every  place,  every  person,  every 
thing  ;  you  ought  to  know  these  people.  I  will 
tell  you  how  they  came.  My  sister  and  I  made 
the  great  world  fire ;  we  made  the  wakpohas  be 
cause  Tdrihas  and  his  people  stole  my  flint.  I 
was  angry.  I  told  my  sister  to  put  her  baby 
outside  rV-  house.  We  put  pitch-pine  around 
it,  and  fiu  blazed  up  from  the  baby.  When  the 
fire  was  lv-ning  all  over  the  earth  and  there  were 
great  flames  and  smoke,  a  big  water  and  a  strong 
wind  came  *he  water  filled  the  whole  world  with 
steam,  and  iv  wind  drove  the  steam  and  smoke 


38      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

from  the  great  fire,  and  carried  them  far  off  to  the 
south,  where  they  became  a  people,  —  the  cloud 
people.  These  people  are  red  or  white  or  black, 
all  of  them,  and  they  are  going  north  always. 
They  have  good  heads  and  long  necks." 

"  I  should  like  to  stand  near  some  of  these  people 
and  look  at  them,"  said  Olelbis. 

"  I  do  not  like  to  see  them  go  north,"  said  Kat- 
katchila.  "  My  brother  and  I  are  here  trying  to 
drive  them  back ;  but  they  go  north  in  spite  of  us. 
My  brother  is  on  the  other  slope  over  there  to 
frighten  them  back ;  but  they  turn  to  the  east  a 
little  and  go  around  him." 

"  Bring  your  brother  here,"  said  Olelbis. 

Katkatchila  brought  his  brother,  and  the  two 
said,  — 

"  These  cloud  people  are  very  wild ;  we  cannot 
go  near  them.  But  we  should  like  to  drive  them 
back  or  catch  them." 

"  Go  west,  my  brothers,"  said  Olelbis,  <c  and  get 
something  to  stop  that  gap  on  the  east  where  the 
cloud  people  pass  you  and  go  north.  Stop  that 
opening  on  the  east,  and  stop  the  western  slope 
also,  leaving  only  a  narrow  place  for  them  to  go 
through.  Get  yew  wood,  make  a  very  high  fence 
with  it,  and  stop  the  eastern  slope." 

They  brought  the  yew  wood  and  made  a  very 
high  fence  on  the  eastern  slope,  and  then  one  on 
the  west,  leaving  only  a  narrow  gap  open. 

"  Go  to  the  east  now,"  said  Olelbis,  cc  get  katsau, 
which  is  a  strong,  fibrous  plant,  and  make  strings 
of  it.  Make  a  rope  of  the  string  and  set  a  snare 


Olelbis 


39 


in  the  opening  of  the  fence  across  the  western  slope 
to  catch  those  cloud  people." 

The  elder  brother  was  on  the  ridge  near  the 
western  slope,  and  the  younger  on  the  ridge  near 
the  eastern  slope.  The  brothers  made  the  snare 
and  set  it  on  the  western  slope.  Both  watched 
and  waited  for  the  clouds  to  come. 

"  Now,  my  brother,"  said  Olelbis,  when  he  saw 
this  work,  "  watch  these  people  well,  frighten  them 
into  the  trap,  and  I  will  go  back  to  Olelpanti." 

Next  morning  early  the  two  brothers  were  watch 
ing,  and  very  soon  they  saw  a  great  many  cloud 
people  coming.  Both  brothers  were  lying  flat  on 
the  middle  of  the  ridge,  so  that  the  clouds  could 
not  see  them.  The  clouds  watched  closely.  They 
came  to  the  place  where  they  had  always  turned 
east  to  go  past  little  Katkatchila ;  they  ran  against 
the  fence  and  could  not  pass.  They  turned  and 
went  toward  the  west  to  pass  northward  along  the 
central  ridge ;  but  when  both  brothers  stood  up, 
the  clouds  rushed  to  the  western  slope  and  fell  into 
the  trap. 

Olelbis  saw  this  and  said :  "  Now,  my  brothers 
are  driving  them  in.  I  must  go  and  see  ! "  And 
he  ran  off  quickly. 

"Oh,  my  brother,"  said  the  Katkatchilas  when 
he  came,  "  we  have  caught  one  cloud.  All  the  rest 
went  through  the  fence.  They  broke  it  —  we 
caught  one;  the  others  burst  away." 

Olelbis  looked  at  the  cloud  and  said,  — 

"This  is  a  black  one!  They  broke  down  the 
fence  and  ran  away !  They  are  a  strong  people." 


40      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  Now,  my  brother,"  said  the  elder  Katkatchila, 
"  we  will  skin  this  cloud,  and  you  may  have  the 
skin.  We  will  give  it  to  you." 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  it,"  said  Olelbis. 

They  stripped  the  skin  from  the  cloud,  and, 
when  giving  it  to  Olelbis,  the  elder  one  said,  "  You 
must  tan  this  carefully." 

"  Make  another  fence,"  said  Olelbis,  "  but 
make  it  stronger.  You  will  catch  more  of  these 
people." 

"A  great  many  clouds  have  broken  through  our 
fence  to-day  and  gone  north.  Others  went  before 
we  made  the  fence.  We  shall  see  these  people  by 
and  by,"  said  Katkatchila.  (He  meant  that  clouds 
would  stay  in  the  north  and  become  another  people ; 
stay  there  always.) 

Olelbis  took  the  skin,  turned  toward  home,  and 
travelled  on.  He  was  rubbing  it  in  his  hands, 
tanning  it  as  he  went.  The  brothers  put  the  body 
in  a  hole  and  buried  it,  not  caring  for  the  flesh. 
They  wanted  only  the  skin. 

Olelbis  went  along  tanning  the  skin  of  the  black 
cloud,  and  he  walked  around  everywhere  as  he 
tanned.  He  went  away  west,  then  north,  then 
south,  then  east.  At  last  he  came  home  with  the 
skin  well  tanned.  He  spread  it  and  stretched  it 
smooth.  The  two  Katkatchila  brothers  had  not 
been  able  yet  to  catch  another  of  the  cloud  people, 
but  they  were  working  at  it  all  the  time.  After 
Olelbis  spread  the  skin  on  the  ground,  he  took  it 
up  and  said  to  one  of  the  old  women, — 

grandmother  is  always  cold ;   let  us  give 


Olelbis  4 1 


her  this  skin ; "  and  he  gave  it  to  her.  Each  of 
the  two  old  women  Said, — 

"  My  grandson,  we  are  glad  to  have  this  skin. 
We  shall  sleep  warm  now." 

"  I  must  go,"  said  Olelbis,  "  and  see  my  brothers 
drive  in  more  of  the  cloud  people."  And  he  went. 

"  We  cannot  catch  these  clouds,"  said  the  older 
brother ;  "  they  go  through  our  fence,  they  escape, 
we  cannot  catch  them ;  they  have  gone  to  the  north, 
they  will  stay  there  and  become  a  new  people.  We 
have  caught  only  one,  a  white  cloud.  Those  that 
have  escaped  will  become  a  new  people ;  they  will 
be  Yola  Ka  "  (snow  clouds). 

The  Katkatchilas  stripped  the  skin  from  the 
white  cloud  and  gave  it  to  Olelbis.  He  went 
around  north,  south,  east,  and  west,  tanning  it  in 
the  same  way  that  he  had  tanned  the  black  skin. 
After  he  had  tanned  it  well  he  spread  the  skin, 
stretched  it,  straightened  it ;  then  he  gave  it  to  the 
other  grandmother. 

Both  old  women  were  glad  now.  Both  said : 
"  We  shall  sleep  warm  at  night  now  all  the  time." 

Next  day  the  two  brothers  caught  a  third  cloud, 
a  red  one,  but  they  kept  that  skin  for  themselves. 
They  did  not  give  it  to  Olelbis,  because  he  told 
them  to  keep  it.  We  see  this  skin  now  often 
enough,  for  the  brothers  hang  it  up  when  they  like 
in  the  west  and  sometimes  in  the  east. 

"  Now,"  said  the  two  old  women,  "  we  have  this 
white  skin  and  this  black  one.  When  we  hang 
the  white  skin  outside  this  house,  white  clouds  will 
go  from  it,  —  will  go  away  down  south,  where  its 


42      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

people  began  to  live,  and  then  they  will  come  from 
the  south  and  travel  north  to  bring  rain.  When 
they  come  back,  we  will  hang  out  the  black  skin, 
and  from  it  a  great  many  black  rain  clouds  will  go 
out,  and  from  these  clouds  heavy  rain  will  fall  on 
all  the  world  below." 

From  that  time  the  old  women  hang  out  the 
two  skins,  first  the  white,  then  the  black  skin,  and 
when  clouds  enough  have  gone  from  them  they 
take  the  skins  into  the  sweat-house  again ;  and 
from  these  two  skins  comes  all  the  rain  to  people 
in  this  world. 

"  The  cloud  people  who  went  north  will  stay  in 
the  northwest,"  said  Olelbis,  "  and  from  them  will 
come  snow  to  people  hereafter." 

All  this  time  the  people  in  Olelpanti  were  sing 
ing  and  talking.  Any  one  could  hear  them  from  a 
distance.  Olelbis  had  brought  in  a  great  many 
different  kinds  of  people,  others  had  come  them 
selves,  and  still  others  were  coming.  After  the 
tanning  of  the  two  cloud  skins  a  man  came  and  took 
his  place  above  the  sweat-house  door,  and  sat  there 
with  his  face  to  the  east.  This  was  Kar  Kiemila. 
Right  after  him  came  Tsararok,  and  took  his  place 
at  the  side  of  Kar.  Next  came  Kau  ;  then  the  two 
brothers  Hus  came,  and  Wehl  Dilidili.  All  these 
people  in  the  sweat-house  and  around  it  asked  one 
another,  — 

"What  shall  we  do?  Where  shall  we  live? 
We  should  like  to  know  what  Olelbis  will  do 
with  us." 

"  You  will  know  very  soon  where  we  are  going," 


Olelbis 


43 


said  Toko  and  Sula.  "  Olelbis  will  put  us  in  our 
places  ;  he  is  chief  over  all." 

Next  morning  Olelbis  said :  "  Now,  my  grand 
mothers,  what  do  you  think  best  ?  What  are  we 
to  do  with  the  people  here  ?  Is  it  best  for  them  to 
stay  in  Olelpanti  ?  " 

"  Our  grandson,"  answered  the  old  women,  "  send 
all  that  are  not  needed  here  to  the  lower  world ; 
turn  them  into  something  good  for  the  people  who 
are  to  come  soon, —  those  fit  for  this  place  up  here. 
The  great  people,  the  best  ones,  you  will  keep  in 
Olelpanti,  and  send  down  only  a  little  part  of  each 
of  them  to  turn  into  something  in  the  world  below 
and  be  of  use  to  people  there." 

Olelbis  called  all  who  were  in  the  sweat-house  to 
come  out,  and  he  began  to  send  them  to  their 
places. 

To  Kar  he  said :  cc  Go  and  live  on  Wini  Mem. 
Be  a  gray  heron  there ;  that  is  a  good  country 
for  you."  (Before  white  people  came  there  were 
many  of  these  birds  on  that  river.) 

To  Toko  he  said :  "  Go  to  Kawiken  on  Pui 
Mem.  Be  a  sunfish  and  live  there  always.  You, 
Sula,  go  to  the  south  of  Bohem  Puyuk  on  Wini 
Mem.  Be  a  trout,  and  live  at  Sulanharas." 

To  Torihas  he  said :  "  You  will  be  a  blue  crane," 
and  to  Chalilak  :  "  You  will  be  a  goose.  You  both 
will  have  two  places  to  live  in,  one  in  the  south  and 
the  other  in  the  north.  You  will  go  north  in  the 
spring  and  live  there  all  summer ;  you  will  go 
south  in  the  fall  and  live  in  the  south  all  winter. 
Do  this  always ;  travel  that  way  every  year." 


44      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

To  Kiriu  he  said  :  "  Go  and  live  along  the  water. 
You  will  be  a  loon,  and  you  will  go  up  and  down 
great  rivers  all  your  life." 

To  Katsi  he  said :  "  You  will  be  a  fish  hawk, 
catch  fish  and  eat  them,  live  along  rivers." 

Olelbis  plucked  one  small  feather  from  the  neck 
of  Moihas.  This  he  threw  down  and  said,  "  Be  an 
eagle,  and  live  on  high  mountains."  All  bald  eagles 
on  earth  came  from  that  feather,  but  the  great 
Moihas  remained  above  with  Olelbis,  where  he  is 
now. 

From  Lutchi  Olelbis  plucked  one  feather,  threw 
it  down,  and  said :  "  You  will  be  a  humming-bird. 
Fly  around  in  spring  when  the  green  grass  comes 
and  the  trees  and  flowers  bloom.  You  will  be  on 
blossoms  and  dart  from  one  to  another  everywhere." 
Lutchi  himself  stayed  in  Olelpanti. 

Olelbis  pulled  a  feather  from  Kau,  threw  it  down, 
and  said :  "  You  will  fly  along  rivers,  be  a  white 
crane,  and  live  near  them  always."  The  great  Kau 
stayed  in  Olelpanti  with  Olelbis. 

From  the  elder  Hus  brother  Olelbis  plucked  a 
feather  from  the  right  side,  sent  the  feather  down  on 
this  earth,  and  said,  — 

"  You  be  a  buzzard  down  there,  and  in  spring  go 
up  on  Wini  Mem  and  look  for  dead  salmon  and 
other  fish  along  Pui  Mem,  Bohema  Mem,  and 
other  rivers,  eat  dead  salmon  and  other  fish.  When 
people  killa  snake  or  something  else  which  they  do 
not  like,  you  will  go  and  eat  the  snake  or  other 
dead  thing.  The  Wintu,  the  coming  people,  will 
feed  you  always  with  what  is  dead." 


Olelbis 


45 


Tilitchi  had  been  sent  for  three  persons,  and  now 
he  brought  the  first. 

"  Who  is  this  ?  "  asked  Olelbis  of  the  old  women. 

"This  is  Dokos,"  said  they;  "he  is  bad." 

Dokos  was  placed  a  little  northeast  of  the  sweat- 
house.  He  sat  looking  toward  the  west.  Tilichi 
brought  in  a  second  and  third  person. 

"  Who  are  these  ?  "  asked  Olelbis. 

"  These  are  both  bad  people,"  said  the  old 
women.  "These  are  Wima  Loimis  and  Klak 
Loimis." 

"  Put  them  with  Dokos,"  said  Olelbis.  After 
he  had  called  all  the  people  out  of  the  sweat-house 
to  send  them  to  their  proper  places,  Olelbis  had  put 
something  on  their  teeth  to  make  them  harmless. 

"  Come  here,  Wima  Loimis,"  said  Olelbis.  "  I 
have  something  to  put  on  your  teeth  so  that  they 
may  harm  no  one." 

"  I  want  nothing  on  my  teeth,"  said  Wima 
Loimis.  "  If  something  were  put  on  them  I  could 
not  eat."  He  asked  again,  but  she  shook  her 
head,  saying :  "  I  want  nothing  on  my  teeth,  I 
could  not  eat  if  anything  were  put  on  them." 

"  If  she  will  not  come,  come  you,  Klak  Loimis." 
Klak  Loimis  would  not  go  to  him. 

"Why  not  come  when  I  call  you?"  asked 
Olelbis. 

"  My  sister  Wima  will  not  go.  She  says  that 
she  could  not  eat  if  her  teeth  were  touched.  I 
want  nothing  on  my  teeth.  I  am  afraid  that  I 
could  not  eat." 

"Very  well,"   answered    Olelbis,    "you,    Wima, 


46      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

and  you,  Klak,  want  to  be  different  from  others. 
Come,  Dokos,  I  will  touch  your  teeth." 

"  My  sisters,  Klak  and  Wima,  want  nothing  on 
their  teeth.  I  want  nothing  on  mine.  I  am  angry 
at  my  sisters ;  my  heart  hates  them.  I  do  not  wish 
to  be  good.  I  am  angry  at  my  sisters.  I  will  be 
wicked  as  well  as  they.'*  Then  turning  to  his  sis 
ters  he  said :  "  After  a  while  people  will  employ 
me  against  you  whenever  they  are  angry  at  you. 
Whenever  you  bite  people  or  hurt  them,  they  will 
call  me  to  fight  against  you,  and  I  will  go  with 
them.  I  will  go  into  your  bodies  and  kill  you. 
Then  you  will  be  sorry  for  what  you  have  done 
to-day.  Olelbis  asked  you  to  be  good.  He  wants 
you  to  be  good,  but  you  are  not  willing.  I  will 
be  bad  to  punish  you." 

When  the  two  women  heard  these  words  they 
cried,  and  Wima  said,  "  Well,  my  brother,  we  can 
put  something  on  our  teeth  yet." 

Dokos  placed  his  head  between  his  hands  and 
sat  awhile  in  that  posture.  Then  he  straightened 
himself  and  said, — 

"  You  two  have  talked  enough  ;  you  would  bet 
ter  stop.  You  are  not  like  me ;  I  am  stronger 
than  both  of  you,  and  I  shall  be  so  always.  You, 
Wima,  and  you,  Klak,  will  hate  people  only,  but 
I  shall  hate  all  living  things.  I  shall  hate  you, 
hate  every  one ;  kill  you,  kill  every  one.  I  want 
nothing  of  any  one.  I  want  no  friend  in  any 
place." 

"  Well,"  said  Olelbis,  "  you  go  as  you  are." 

"  I  will  go  first,"  said  Dokos. 


Olelbis 


47 


"Go,"  said  Olelbis,  "to  Koiham  Nomdaltopi, 
be  flint  there,  and  spread  all  around  the  place. 
You,  Klak  Loimis,  will  go  to  Klak  Kewilton,  be  a 
rattlesnake  there,  increase  and  spread  everywhere. 
I  will  send  you,  Wima,  to  Wima  Wai  Tsarauton  ; 
you  will  be  a  grizzly  bear  there.  After  a  while  a 
great  family  will  come  from  you  and  spread  over  all 
the  country.  You  will  be  bad ;  and,  Klak,  you  will 
be  bad,  but,  Dokos,  you  will  be  the  worst,  always 
ready  to  hurt  and  kill ;  always  angry,  always  hating 
your  sisters  and  every  one  living. 

"You,  Klak,  and  you,  Wima,  when  you  see 
people  you  will  bite  them,  and  people  will  take 
Dokos  to  kill  you,  and  Dokos  will  go  into  your 
bodies,  and  you  will  die.  Wima,  you  will  be  sorry 
that  you  would  not  let  me  change  your  teeth. 
You,  Klak,  will  be  sorry.  You  will  bite  people, 
and  they  will  kill  you  because  you  cannot  run 
away  from  them.  Your  dead  body  will  lie  on 
the  ground,  and  buzzards  will  eat  it. 

"  Dokos,  you  will  go  to  your  place  and  increase. 
People  will  go  there  and  get  you  to  kill  your  sisters 
and  others  for  them,  and  when  you  have  pleased 
them  and  killed  all  the  people  they  wished  you  to 
kill,  when  they  want  you  no  longer,  they  will  throw 
you  down  on  a  rock  and  break  you  to  pieces,  then 
you  will  be  nothing.  You  will  be  dead  forever. 
Now  go  ! " 

To  all  those  who  let  their  teeth  be  made  inno 
cent,  Olelbis  said :  "  You  will  go  to  where  I  send 
you,  —  one  here,  another  there."  And  he  gave 
their  places  to  all.  To  some  he  said :  "  After  a 


48      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

while  the  new  people  will  use  you  for  food/'  and 
to  the  others  he  said :  "  The  new  people  will  use 
your  skins,  and  you  will  be  of  service  to  them, 
you  will  be  good  for  them." 

The  first  person  taken  up  to  Olelbis's  sweat- 
house  was  Tsurat ;  and  now  Olelbis  spoke  to 
Tsurat  last  of  all  and  said,  — 

"  Pluck  one  feather  from  your  back." 

Tsurat  plucked  it. 

Olelbis  threw  the  feather  to  the  earth  and 
said, — 

"  The  place  where  this  falls  will  be  called  Tsurat- 
ton  Mem  Puisono.  This  feather  will  become  wood 
peckers,  and  their  place  will  be  there.  Their  red 
feathers  will  be  beautiful,  and  every  one  will  like 
their  red  scalps  and  will  use  them  for  headbands. 
The  woodpeckers  will  be  also  called  Topi  chil- 
chihl"  (bead  birds). 

All  people  that  were  good  on  this  earth  only,  of 
use  only  here,  Olelbis  sent  down  to  be  beasts, 
birds,  and  other  creatures.  The  powerful  and  great 
people  that  were  good  in  Olelpanti  and  useful  there 
he  kept  with  himself,  and  sent  only  a  feather  or  a 
part  of  each  to  become  something  useful  down  here. 
The  good  people  themselves,  the  great  ones,  stayed 
above,  where  they  are  with  Olelbis  now. 


•LEL1IS    AND    MEM    LOIMIS 


OLELBIS   AND    MEM    LOIMIS 

ONE  character  in  this  myth  is  of  great  importance  in  actual 
Indian  belief,  the  Hlahi  or  doctor,  the  sorcerer.  The  position  and 
power  of  the  Hlahi  are  explained  at  length  in  the  notes  to  this 
volume.  Sanihas  Yupchi,  the  archer  of  Daylight,  is  Tsaroki 
Sakahl,  the  messenger  sent  by  Torihas  to  invite  Katkatchila  to 
hunt ;  he  appears  also  as  the  friend  and  messenger  of  Waida  Dikit, 
who  assembled  the  world  concert  in  which  Hawt  proved  the  great 
est  musician. 

PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  beast,  bird,  or  thing  into 
which  the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Hubit,  wasp;  Hus,  buzzard;  Kahit,  wind;  Kaisus,  gray  squirrel ; 
Kiriu,  loon ;  Kopus,  small-horned  owl ;  Kuntihle",  small  hawk  fishes  in 
muddy  water;  Kut,  unknown;  Lutchi,  humming-bird;  Mem  Loimis, 
water;  Moihas,  bald  eagle;  Pakchuso,  the  pakchu  stone;  Patkilis, 
jack  rabbit;  Pori  Kipanamas,  another  name  for  Kopus  Sutunut, 
black  eagle ;  Sanihas,  daylight ;  Sotchet,  beaver ;  Toko,  sunfish ; 
Tsaroki  Sakahl,  green  snake  ;  Tsarorok,  fish-hawk ;  Tsudi,  mouse  ; 
Tsurat,  red-headed  woodpecker;  Winishuyat,  foresight;  Wokwuk, 
unknown. 


ONE  evening  a  woman  came  to  Olelpanti. 
Her  name  was  Mem  Loimis. 

"  Why  are  you  here  ?  "  inquired  Olelbis  ;  "  and 
from  what  place  have  you  come  ?  " 

"  I  have  come  from  my  home  in  the  earth  to 
ask  if  I  may  live  with  you.  I  have  come  from  the 
north." 

"  You  may  live  here,"  said  Olelbis ;  and  she 
stayed  there.  She  lived  with  Olelbis,  became  his 
wife,  and  had  two  sons :  the  first  was  Wokwuk, 
the  second  Kut. 


5  2      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Kut  was  still  small,  when  one  day  the  woman 
went  out  a  little  to  one  side  of  the  house  to 
get  something,  and  a  man  came  to  her  and  said, 
"Come  with  me- — come  right  away!"  And  he 
took  her,  took  her  quickly,  took  her  toward  the 
north,  to  the  place  where  Kahi  Hlut  is.  This  man 
was  Kahit,  and  Kahi  Hlut  was  his  house. 

Olelbis  knew  not  where  his  wife  had  gone;  he 
knew  not  which  way  she  went ;  he  had  not  seen 
her  going  out  and  had  not  seen  her  afterward.  He 
inquired  of  every  one  who  lived  in  Olelpanti.  All 
they  knew  was  that  she  had  gone  west  a  little  way 
to  get  something. 

For  five  years  after  the  woman  was  carried  away 
the  people  in  Olelpanti  had  no  water  to  drink. 
This  woman  had  given  them  water,  and  now  some 
one  had  taken  her,  and  without  her  there  was  no 
water. 

"  I  cannot  tell  what  to  do  without  water,"  said 
Olelbis.  "  I  don't  think  my  children  can  live 
without  water.  I  don't  know  what  yapaitu  likes 
my  wife  and  has  taken  her." 

The  people  in  and  around  Olelpanti  talked  a 
great  deal  about  Mem  Loimis. 

"  I  don't  know  how  we  are  to  live  now,"  said 
Toko  Kiemila  to  Olelbis.  "  Some  one  has  taken 
your  wife  away.  I  cannot  live  without  water  much 
longer." 

Another  man  who  lay  inside  the  sweat-house  at 
the  west  end,  an  old  man,  stood  up  and  said,  — 

"  I  do  not  know  what  people  are  to  do  without 
water.  I  do  not  know  how  you,  Olelbis,  are  to 


Olelbis  and  Mem  Loimis  53 

live  without  it.  I  cannot  live  unless  I  have  water. 
I  am  very  dry.  Why  do  you  not  try  to  get  water 
again  ?  There  is  a  man  in  Hlihli  Pui  Hlutton 
whose  name  is  Kopus.  You  can  see  his  house 
from  here.  He  is  a  'great  Hlahi.  He  sings  and 
dances  every  night.  Let  him  come  here  to  sing 
and  dance.  Perhaps  he  will  be  able  to  bring  water 
back  to  us." 

The  old  man  who  said  this  was  Hubit.  He  was 
suffering  from  thirst  so  much  that  he  had  tied  a 
belt  of  sinews  around  his  waist  and  tightened  it  till 
he  was  nearly  cut  in  two. 

Olelbis  went  to  the  top  of  the  sweat-house  and 
spoke  to  all  the  people. 

"  We  must  send  for  this  Hlahi,"  said  he.  "  Let 
him  come  here  to  sing  and  bring  water  back  to  us. 
Some  of  you  young  men  who  walk  fast  must  go  for 
him  to-morrow." 

That  night  they  talked  about  the  person  who 
should  go.  One  said  to  a  second,  "  You  walk  fast ; 
you  ought  to  go." 

"  I  do  not,"  said  the  second  ;  "  but  you  walk  fast. 
You  are  the  person  to  go." 

And  so  they  spoke  one  after  another,  till  at 
last  Lutchi  said,  "I  cannot  walk  fast,  but  I 
will  go." 

Early  next  morning  he  went  out  to  the  top  of 
the  sweat-house  and  said,  "  I  am  going ! "  and  he 
shot  away  to  the  southeast. 

He  found  the  old  Hlahi.  He  had  not  finished 
his  night's  work  yet.  This  Hlahi  was  Kopus 
Kiemila. 


54      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  Old  man,  you  must  stop  awhile,"  said  Lutchi. 
"  Olelbis  lost  his  wife,  Mem  Loimis,  years  ago. 
He  has  two  children,  and  he  and  all  the  people 
are  very  dry;  they  are  thirsting,  they  are  dying 
for  want  of  water.  He  wants  you  to  come  and 
see  if  you  can  tell  us  what  to  do  to  bring  water 
back  to  Olelpanti.  Olelbis  will  give  you  five 
sacks  of  acorns  for  your  pay.  You  must  sing 
five  nights  for  these  five  sacks.  They  are  old 
acorns." 

"  I  will  do  that,"  said  Kopus.  "  I  will  go  with 
you." 

Lutchi  returned  to  Olelpanti  with  Kopus,  who 
was  called  also  Pori  Kipanamas,  which  means  a 
man  wearing  a  headband  of  fresh  oak  leaves  with 
two  green  acorns  thrust  in  on  each  side.  His  face 
was  painted  with  acorn  mould.  A  great  many 
people  were  waiting  there,  all  very  dry,  very  thirsty, 
—  all  hoping  for  water. 

"  I  sent  for  you  to  come,"  said  Olelbis,  "  and 
you  must  hlaha1  five  nights.  All  my  people,  all 
my  children,  are  dry.  I  am  dry  myself.  I  lost 
my  wife  five  years  ago.  I  don't  know  where  she 
went,  and  we  have  no  water  since  she  left  us.  I 
want  you  to  sing  and  to  dance.  I  want  you  to 
find  out  where  my  wife  is." 

When  night  came,  Olelbis  gave  a  pipe  filled 
with  tobacco  to  Kopus  and  said,  "  Now  you  must 
hlaha." 

Kopus  smoked,  became  tunindili,  —  that  is,  pos 
sessed.  A  Tsudi  yapaitu  came  to  him  and  began 

1  Hlaha  means,  "to  perform  as  a  Hlahi,  or  doctor." 


Olelbis  and  Mem  Loimis  55 

to  chant.  The  yapaitu,  speaking  through  Kopus, 
said,  — 

"  I  have  looked  all  around  the  world,  I  have 
looked  everywhere ;  every  smell  has  come  to  my 
nose,  every  sight  to  my  eyes,  every  sound  to  my 
ears,  but  to-night  nothing  comes  to  me.  I  cannot 
see,  I  cannot  hear,  I  cannot  smell."  And  he 
stopped. 

"  I  am  going  to  dance  the  spirit  dance,"  said 
Kopus.  "  Who  will  sing  for  me  ?  " 

"  Let  these  two  Tsudi  girls  sing,"  said  Olelbis. 

Hubit  was  lying  on  the  east  side  of  the  sweat- 
house,  and  he  said,  — 

"  Make  haste,  you  two  girls,  and  sing  for  that 
Hlahi.  I  am  nearly  dead,  almost  cut  in  two,  I 
am  so  dry." 

He  had  tightened  his  belt  a  little  that  evening. 
Kopus  danced  all  night,  and  the  two  girls  sang  for 
him. 

"  I  have  not  found  out  which  way  that  woman 
went,"  said  he,  next  morning. 

He  danced  five  days  and  nights,  and  then  said : 
"  I  can  tell  nothing.  I  know  nothing  about  this 
woman,  Mem  Loimis." 

Every  bola  heris l  that  was  lying  inside  the  sweat- 
house  was  terribly  thirsty.  One  old  man  got  up 
and  said,  — 

"  What  kind  of  a  Hlahi  have  you  here  ?  What 
kind  of  a  Hlahi  is  Kopus  ?  He  is  here  five  days 

1  Bola  means  "  to  tell  one  of  the  creation  myths  ; "  bolas  means 
"  one  of  the  myths  ; "  bola  heris  is  an  actor  in  any  of  them,  a  person 
age  mentioned  or  described  in  a  creation  myth. 


56      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

and  nights  and  can  tell  nothing,  knows  nothing. 
If  you  wish  to  learn  something,  bring  a  Hlahi  who 
has  knowledge  of  water." 

"  This  old  Kopus  knows  nothing  of  water,"  said 
Toko.  "  Old  Kopus  is  a  good  Hlahi  for  acorns 
and  for  the  Tsudi  and  Kaisus  people ;  that  is  all 
he  is  good  for.  I  know  this  Kopus  well.  Get  a 
Hlahi  who  knows  more  than  he  does." 

"  You  bola  herises  tell  us,"  said  Olelbis,  "  who  is 
a  good  Hlahi  for  water,  and  we  will  get  him.  Look 
at  my  children ;  they  are  almost  dying  of  thirst. 
Tell  us  where  their  mother,  Mem  Loimis,  is." 

"  Oh,  daylight,  come  quickly ;  be  here  right 
away  !  I  am  almost  cut  in  two  I  am  so  dry.  Oh, 
daylight,  come  quickly  !  "  groaned  Hubit. 

No  one  mentioned  another  Hlahi.  So  Olelbis 
talked  on,  — 

"  All  the  people  said  that  Kopus  was  a  good 
Hlahi.  That  is  why  I  got  him ;  but  he  is  not  a 
good  Hlahi  for  water.  Now  we  will  get  Sanihas 
Yupchi,  the  archer  of  daylight,  who  lives  in  the 
farthest  east,  he  is  the  son  of  Sanihas.  He  is 
small,  but  he  is  a  great  Hlahi.  Lutchi,  you  must 
go  now  for  Sanihas  Yupchi.  Here  are  one  hun 
dred  yellowhammer-wing  arrows  for  him,  all  red, 
and  many  others." 

Lutchi  went  to  the  east  end  of  the  sweat-house, 
danced  a  little,  sprang  onto  the  sweat-house,  danced 
a  little  more,  and  then  whizzed  away  through  the 
air.  Lutchi  travelled  all  day  and  all  night,  reached 
the  place  about  daylight  next  morning,  and  said  to 
Sanihas,  — 


Olelbis  and  Mem  Loimis  57 

"  Olelbis  sent  me  here  to  ask  your  son  to  come 
and  hlaha  for  him.  He  sends  you  all  these  five 
hundred  arrows  made  of  kewit  reed  and  one 
hundred  yellowhammer-wing  arrows  to  come  and 
hlaha." 

"You  must  go/'  said  Sanihas  to  her  son,  "and 
I  will  follow  you.  Olelbis  is  a  yapaitu  himself; 
he  ought  to  know  where  that  woman  is, — he  thinks 
that  he  knows  everything;  but  you  go  and  hlaha, 
and  hear  what  your  yapaitu  tells  you." 

Sanihas  Yupchi  started,  and  was  at  the  sweat- 
house  in  Olelpanti  next  morning  just  as  the  sun 
was  rising.  He  went  into  the  sweat-house,  and 
Olelbis  gave  him  many  things. 

"  Give  me  tobacco,"  said  Sanihas  Yupchi.  "  I 
am  going  to  hlaha." 

Olelbis  gave  him  a  pipe  with  tobacco ;  he  smoked 
it  out  and  was  not  possessed.  Olelbis  gave  him 
another  pipeful,  and  he  smoked  it  out,  but  was  not 
possessed.  He  smoked  out  ten  pipefuls,  and  then 
people  said, — 

"  I  am  afraid  that  the  yapaitu  will  not  come  to 
him." 

He  smoked  twenty  more  pipefuls,  still  he  was 
not  possessed ;  then  twenty  more,  did  not  hlaha. 

"  He  is  no  Hlahi,"  cried  people  on  all  sides ;  "  if 
he  were,  the  yapaitu  would  have  come  to  him  long 
ago." 

"  The  yapaitu  he  is  waiting  for  does  not  live 
near  this  sweat-house ;  he  is  very  far  away,"  said 
Toko.  "  Give  him  more  tobacco." 

They  gave  him  five  pipefuls,  then  four,  then  one 


5  8      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

more,  —  sixty  in  all;  after  that  a  yapaitu  came  to 
him. 

"The  yapaitu  has  come,"  said  Olelbis.  "  I  want 
you  to  look  everywhere  and  learn  all  you  can  ;  my 
children  are  nearly  dead  from  lack  of  water  ;  you 
must  tell  where  Mem  Loimis  is." 

Sanihas  Yupchi  began  to  sing,  and  he  said,  "  I 
will  have  the  spirit  dance  to-night ;  the  two  Tsudi 
girls  may  sing  for  me." 

He  danced  twenty  nights  and  days  without  say 
ing  a  word,  —  danced  twenty  days  and  nights  more. 
The  two  Tsudi  girls  sang  all  the  time.  Then  Sani 
has  Yupchi  sat  down,  said  nothing ;  he  had  found 
out  nothing. 

Again  he  danced  five  days  and  nights,  then  four 
days  and  nights,  then  one  day  and  one  night  more. 
After  that  he  sat  down  and  said,  — 

"  I  am  going  to  speak.  The  place  of  which  I 
am  going  to  tell  is  a  long  way  from  here,  but  I  am 
going  to  talk  and  let  you  hear  what  I  say.  Did 
any  one  see  which  way  this  woman  Mem  Loimis 
went?" 

One  person  answered :  "  She  went  west  a  short 
distance  to  get  something.  That  was  the  last  seen 
of  her." 

"  Was  anything  the  matter  with  that  woman  ? " 
asked  Sanihas  Yupchi.  "  Does  any  one  know  ? " 

"Yes,"  said  Olelbis,  "she  was  with  child." 

"  Well,  while  she  was  out,  a  man  came  to  her 
and  took  her  away  with  him,  took  her  far  north  and 
then  east  beyond  the  first  Kolchiken  Topi,  where 
the  sky  comes  down,  where  the  horizon  is ;  he  took 


Olelbis  and  Mem  Loimis 


59 


her  to  the  place  where  he  lives,  and  he  lives  in 
Waiti  Kahi  Pui  Hlut.  His  name  is  Kajiit,  and 
after  he  took  her  home  they  lived  pleasantly  to 
gether  till  her  child  was  born.  Kahit  did  not  claim 
that  child  as  his.  After  a  while  Mem  Loimis  grew 
angry  at  Kahit,  left  her  child  with  him,  and  went 
eastward,  went  to  the  other  side  of  the  second 
horizon.  She  stayed  there  awhile,  and  gave  birth 
to  two  sons,  children  of  Kahit.  Then  she  went 
farther  east  to  a  third  horizon,  went  to  the  other 
side  of  that,  stayed  there,  is  living  there  now.  The 
boy  that  was  born  when  she  lived  with  Kahit  was 
Sotchet.  Sotchet's  father  was  Olelbis.  When  the 
child  grew  up  a  little,  Kahit  said  to  him  :  c  Your 
father  lives  in  Olelpanti.' ' 

Sanihas  Yupchi  told  all  this,  and  said  to  Wokwuk 
and  Kut,  the  two  sons  of  Olelbis,  — 

"  Your  mother  has  gone  a  long  way  from  here. 
Mem  Loimis  is  far  from  you.  She  is  very  far  east. 
If  I  were  at  home,  I  could  go  to  her  quickly,  but 
I  am  here.  Now  you  must  go  and  see  your  mother. 
In  the  far  east  you  have  two  brothers,  Kahit's  sons. 
When  you  have  passed  three  Kolchiken  Topis, 
three  horizons,  you  will  see  them,  and  they  will 
know  you.  The  way  to  your  mother  and  brothers 
is  long.  That  is  what  my  yapaitu  says  to  me  — 
my  yapaitu  is  the  Winishuyat  of  Patkilis." 

Sanihas  Yupchi  was  Tsaroki  Sakahl,  a  great 
person. 

Wokwuk  and  Kut,  the  two  sons  of  Olelbis  by 
Mem  Loimis,  went  away  east.  Patkilis's  Wini 
shuyat,  the  yapaitu  of  Sanihas  Yupchi,  said  that  he 


60      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

would  go  and  help  them  till  they  had  passed  the 
second  horizon.  They  did  not  see  him.  He  was 
invisible. 

They  travelled  one  day,  came  to  the  first  horizon, 
and  passed  that;  then  travelled  a  second  day, 
reached  the  second  horizon,  and  passed  that.  The 
yapaitu,  Patkilis's  Winishuyat,  told  them  then  how 
to  pass  the  third  horizon,  and,  having  given  every 
useful  direction,  went  back  to  Sanihas  Yupchi. 

Sanihas  Yupchi  was  waiting  all  this  time  in  Olel- 
panti.  Olelbis's  elder  son,  Wokwuk,  had  tied  the 
hair  on  top  of  his  head  with  a  young  grapevine  and 
thrust  a  chirtchihas  bone  through  it  —  his  father  had 
given  him  this  bone  at  starting.  With  this  bone  he 
was  to  raise  the  sky.  He  put  it  under  the  edge  of 
the  sky  and  raised  it.  When  he  and  his  brother 
had  passed  through,  the  sky  came  down  with  a  ter 
rible  noise.  When  they  had  passed  the  third  sky, 
they  could  see  far  east.  Everything  was  nice  there 
and  looked  clear,  just  as  it  does  here  at  daylight 
when  all  is  bright  and  beautiful.  After  going  a 
short  distance  they  saw  two  boys  coming  toward 
them.  Soon  the  four  met. 

"  Hello,  brothers  !  "  called  out  the  other  two. 

"Who  are  you?"  asked  Wokwuk.  "  How  do 
you  know  that  we  are  your  brothers  ? " 

"  We  know  because  our  mother  talks  about  you 
always.  She  told  us  this  morning  that  we  must  go 
out  and  play  to-day.  c  Perhaps  you  will  see  your 
brothers,'  said  she  to  us ;  c  perhaps  they  will  come, 
we  do  not  know/  You  have  come,  and  now  we 
will  go  to  our  mother." 


Olelbis  and  Mem  Loimis  61 

When  they  reached  the  house,  on  the  third  even 
ing,  the  two  sons  of  Olelbis  stood  by  the  door  while 
Kahit's  two  sons  ran  in  and  said:  "  Mother,  our 
brothers  have  come!" 

Mem  Loimis  was  lying  at  the  east  end  of  the 
house.  She  was  lying  on  a  mem  terek,  water  buck 
skin  ;  her  blanket  was  a  mem  nikahl,  a  water 
blanket. 

"  Well,  tell  them  to  come  in." 

The  brothers  went  in.  Mem  Loimis  rose  and 
said,  — 

"  Oh,  my  sons,  I  think  of  you  always.  I  live 
far  away  from  where  you  do,  and  you  have  trav 
elled  a  long  road  to  find  me."  She  spread  the  mem 
terek  on  the  ground,  and  said :  "  Sit  down  here  and 


rest." 


"  My  mother,"  said  the  elder  son  of  Olelbis, 
"  my  brother  is  very  dry.  We  have  had  no  water 
in  Olelpanti  for  many  years.  Did  you  think  that 
we  could  live  without  water  ?  " 

"  I  could  not  help  your  loss.  What  could  I 
do  ? "  said  Mem  Loimis.  "  I  was  stolen  away  and 
carried  far  north,  and  from  there  I  came  to  this 
place  ;  but  your  father  is  my  husband.  He  knows 
everything ;  he  can  make  anything,  do  anything, 
see  everything,  but  he  did  not  know  that  I  was 
here.  You  shall  have  water,  my  children  ;  water 
in  plenty." 

She  held  a  basket  to  her  breast  then  and  took 
water  from  it,  as  a  nursing  mother  would  take  milk, 
filled  the  basket,  and  gave  it  to  the  boys.  She 
gave  them  plenty  to  eat,  too,  and  said, — 


62      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"You  boys  are  all  my  children.  You  are  sons 
of  Mem  Loimis.  I  am  here  now ;  but  if  there 
should  be  disturbance,  if  trouble  were  to  rise,  my 
husband  Kahit  would  come  and  take  me  away. 
He  told  me  so.  Some  day  my  husband  Olelbis 
will  know  his  son  in  the  north  who  is  living  with 
Kahit.  Some  day  my  husband  Olelbis  will  think 
of  me ;  he  may  want  me  to  come  to  him,  he 
may  wish  to  see  me." 

Wokwuk  and  Kut  stayed  five  days  with  their 
mother,  then  one  day,  and  after  that  one  day  more. 
Sanihas  Yupchi,  who  was  dancing  and  chanting  in 
Olelpanti  continually,  said  after  the  boys  had  gone : 

"  Get  me  a  suhi  kilo  "  (a  striped  basket). 

Olelbis  got  him  the  suhi  kilo,  a  little  basket  about 
two  inches  around,  and  very  small  inside.  Sanihas 
Yupchi  put  it  in  the  middle  of  the  sweat-house. 
Nine  days  more  passed,  and  Sanihas  Yupchi  was 
dancing  all  the  time. 

That  morning  Mem  Loimis  said  to  Kut,  the 
youngest  son  of  Olelbis,  — 

"  Your  uncle  Mem  Hui,  an  old  man,  who  lives 
at  the  first  horizon  west  of  Olelpanti,  is  dry.  He 
is  thirsting  for  water.  Take  water  to  him.  Your 
elder  brother  will  stay  here  with  me  while  you  are 
gone." 

Sanihas  Yupchi  had  danced  fifty-nine  days.  On 
the  sixtieth  evening  Mem  Loimis  gave  Kut  a  bas 
ketful  of  water  for  his  uncle  in  the  west. 

"  Go,"  said  she,  "  straight  west  to  where  the  old 
man  lives.  When  you  have  reached  Mem  Hui 
with  the  water,  I  will  go^  and  see  my  son  Sotchet 


Olelbis  and  Mem  Loimis  63 

in  the  north.  I  hear  him  cry  all  the  time.  He 
is  dry.  I  will  carry  him  water." 

She  gave  Kut,  in  a  net  bag  before  he  started,  ten 
gambling  sticks  cut  from  grapevine.  She  tied  the 
bag  around  his  neck,  and  said,  — 

"  Son  of  Mem  Loimis,  you  will  be  a  bola  heris ; 
you  will  be  a  great  gambler." 

Kut  was  a  very  quick  traveller,  and  could  go  in 
one  night  as  far  as  his  brother  in  many  nights  and 
days.  He  started.  There  were  holes  in  the  bot 
tom  of  the  basket,  and  as  he  went  over  the  sky, 
high  above  the  top  of  Olelpanti  Hlut,  the  water 
dropped  and  dropped  through  the  holes  in  the 
basket,  and  just  before  morning  one  drop  fell  from 
the  basket  which  Kut  was  carrying,  and  dropped 
into  the  basket  which  Sanihas  Yupchi  had  placed 
in  the  middle  of  the  sweat-house  at  Olelpanti. 

No  one  saw  the  water  come,  but  in  the  morning 
the  little  basket  was  full ;  the  one  drop  filled  it. 

"  Now,"  said  Sanihas  Yupchi,  "  I  have  worked 
as  Hlahi  all  this  time,  and  that  drop  of  water  is  all 
that  I  can  get.  You  see  it  in  the  basket." 

The  little  basket  in  Olelbis's  house  that  the  one 
drop  filled  stood  there,  and  Olelbis  said,  — 

"  Now  you  are  dry,  all  you  people  in  this  sweat- 
house.  You  are  thirsty,  you  are  anxious  for  water. 
Here  is  one  drop  of  water.  We  do  not  know  who 
will  drink  first ;  but  there  is  an  old  man  on  the 
west  side  of  the  sweat-house  crying  all  the  time, 
crying  night  and  day,  for  water.  Let  him  come 
and  look  at  it."  He  meant  Hubit. 

Hubit  stood  up,  came,  looked  at  the  basket  and 


64      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

said  :  "  What  good  is  this  to  me  ?  There  is  only 
a  drop  there.  It  will  do  me  no  good." 

"  Drink  what  there  is ;  you  talk  so  much  about 
water/'  replied  all  the  others,  "  that  you  would 
better  drink." 

"  That  drop  can  do  no  good  to  any  one." 

"Well,  take  a  taste,  anyhow,"  said  Olelbis ;  "it 
will  not  hurt  you." 

"  I  don't  want  a  taste,  I  want  a  drink,"  an 
swered  Hubit. 

"  Take  a  drink,  then,"  said  Olelbis. 

Hubit  began  to  drink.  He  drank  and  drank, 
took  his  belt  off  about  the  middle  of  the  forenoon, 
put  his  head  on  the  edge  of  the  basket  and  drank 
from  morning  till  midday,  drank  till  two  men  had 
to  carry  him  away  from  the  water  and  lay  him 
down  at  the  upper  end  of  the  sweat-house. 

Though  Hubit  drank  half  a  day,  the  water  in 
the  basket  was  no  less. 

Kiriu  Herit  drank  next.  He  drank  long,  but 
did  not  lower  the  water.  After  him  Sutunut 
drank  till  he  was  satisfied ;  then  Moihas  drank 
all  he  wanted. 

"  Let  all  come  and  drink.  When  each  has 
enough,  let  him  stand  aside,"  said  Olelbis. 

Tsararok  drank,  and  then  Kuntihle  drank ;  then 
Hus  and  Tsurat ;  after  them  the  old  women, 
Pakchuso  Pokaila,  the  grandmothers  of  Olelbis, 
drank ;  then  Toko ;  then  Kopus  drank.  But 
the  people  murmured,  saying,  — 

"  Kopus  is  no  Hlahi ;  he  ought  not  to  have  any 
of  our  water.  He  is  only  good  for  acorns." 


Olelbis  and  Mem  Loimis  65 

The  two  Tsudi  girls,  who  had  sung  so  long, 
drank  very  heartily. 

Lutchi  lived  outside,  east  of  the  sweat-house ; 
they  called  him  to  drink.  He  took  one  sip  and 
went  out.  Lutchi  never  liked  water. 

Now  Sanihas  Yupchi,  who  had  brought  the 
water,  drank  of  it ;  and  last  of  all,  Olelbis. 

When  all  were  satisfied,  and  Toko  had  gone 
back  and  lain  down  in  his  place  north  of  the  sweat- 
house,  the  basket  was  put  near  him ;  and  ever 
after  Toko  had  water  in  abundance,  and  so  had 
every  one. 

There  was  plenty  of  water  ever  after  in  Olelpanti 
for  all  uses ;  but  if  Sanihas  Yupchi  had  not  brought 
it,  all  might  have  perished  for  want  of  water. 

"  I  will  go  home  now,"  said  Sanihas  Yupchi, 
after  he  had  drunk.  He  wished  well  to  every 
one  and  went  away. 

When  Kut  was  carrying  the  basket  westward, 
every  drop  that  fell  made  a  spring,  —  wherever  a 
drop  fell  a  spring  appeared. 


NORWAN 


NOR  WAN 

THIS  myth,  which  recalls  the  Helen  of  Troy  tale,  is  extremely 
interesting  both  as  regards  personages  and  structure.  At  present  I 
shall  make  but  few  remarks,  and  those  relating  only  to  personages. 
Hluyuk  Tikimit,  quivering  porcupine,  known  here  as  Norwan,  is 
the  cause  of  the  first  war  in  the  world.  The  porcupine  in  Ameri 
can  mythology  is  always  connected  with  sunlight,  so  far  as  my 
researches  go,  and  Norwan  is  connected  with  daylight,  for  she 
dances  all  day,  never  stops  while  there  is  light.  Her  title  of  Bas- 
tepomas,  food-giving,  is  also  significant,  and  would  help  to  show 
that  she  is  that  warm,  dancing  air  which  we  see  close  to  the  earth 
in  fine  weather,  and  which  is  requisite  for  plant  growth.  We  have 
another  "  light "  person  in  this  myth,  Sanihas,  who  is  light  in 
a  generic  sense,  daylight  generally  and  everywhere.  The  root  Sa 
in  Sanihas  is  identical  with  Sa  in  Sas,  the  Wintu  word  for  "  sun." 
Sa  means  "light"  and  Sas  "for  light,"  /.  e.  for  the  purpose  of 
giving  light.  Sanihas  is  the  light  which  is  given. 

In  Bastepomas,  the  title  given  by  Olelbis  to  Norwan,  the  first 
syllable  ba  means  "to  eat,"  bas  means  "  for  to  eat"  or  food,  tep 
means  "to  give,"  and  tepomas  "she  who  gives;"  the  whole 
word  means  "she  who  gives  food." 

Chulup  Win  Herit,  the  great  chief,  the  white,  pointed  stone 
who  lives  on  the  bed  of  the  great  eastern  water,  the  ocean,  the 
husband  of  Sanihas,  has  a  counterpart  in  Tithonos,  the  husband 
of  Eos  or  Aurora,  in  classic  mythology.  Both  had  beautiful  wives, 
and  were  visited  by  them  nightly  in  the  bed  of  the  ocean. 
Chulup1  s  tragedy  is  somewhat  greater,  for  he  is  caught  by  Wai 
Karili  and  pounded  into  bits  near  the  present  Mt.  Shasta,  while 
Tithonos  is  only  changed  into  a  cricket.  Eos,  the  Latin  Aurora, 
was  considered  as  the  whole  day  by  most  poets,  and  Sanihas  in 
Wintu  mythology  is  the  whole  day,  all  the  light  that  Sas 
gives. 

There  was  a  reason  why  Norwan  preferred  Tede  Wiu  to  Norbis, 
but  we  can  only  infer  it  at  present.  The  present  Wiu  bird  is 


70      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

brown,  and  has  no  significance  in  this  connection,  but  there  was  a 
red  Wiii,  the  bird  into  which  the  Tede  Wiu  who  fought  with 
Norbis  was  changed.  That  he  was  a  person  who  might  be  pre 
ferred  by  Norwan,  herself  a  special  form  of  light,  is  evident  when 
we  consider  the  immense  importance  in  European  tradition  of 
the  robin-redbreast  and  of  the  red-headed  woodpecker  among 
Indians. 

That  Norwan,  food-giving  light  on  the  earth,  was  worth  fighting 
for,  is  evident. 


PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  beast,  bird,  or  thing  into 
which  the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Bisus,  mink;  Boki,  sturgeon;  Biilibok,  a  small  nighthawk;  Chali 
Dokos,  obsidian  ;  Chati  Wai  Halina,  pine-nut  bug ;  Chir  Chuma, 
sucker  ;  Cho,  blackbird  ;  Chuchu,  dog  ;  Chulup  "Win,  a  pointed  rock  ; 
Chutuhl,  a  small  bird  that  goes  in  flocks  ;  Dokos,  flint ;  Dokos  Hilit, 
flint  fly  ;  Hamam,  the  longest  black  feather  in  the  tail  of  the  black  vul 
ture  ;  Hau,  red  fox  ;  Hawt,  eel ;  Hessiha,  tomtit ;  Hlihli,  acorn  ;  Hluyuk 
Tikimit,  quivering  porcupine ;  Ho,  polecat ;  Hokohas,  mud  turtle ; 
Hus,  turkey  buzzard  ;  Kahi  Bull  Pokaila,  wind  mountain  old  woman  ; 
Kahit,  wind  ;  Kaisus,  gray  squirrel ;  Kar,  blue  heron  ;  Karili,  coon ; 
Katsi,  chicken  hawk ;  Kaukau,  white  heron ;  Kawas,  basket ;  Keli, 
flint  from  which  knives  are  made ;  Kichi  Not,  a  kind  of  arrow  ;  Kichuna, 

a  small  bird  that  frequents  rocks  ;  Kilichepis, ;  Kiri  Hubit,  a  kind 

of  wasp ;  Kobalus,  a  shell ;  Koip,  a  small  bird  which  calls  "  koip  "  ; 
Kopus,  a  small  night-owl ;  Kot,  diver  ;  Kdyumus,  a  flint  of  mixed  colors  ; 
Kukupiwit,  crooked  breast ;  Nomdal  Lenas,  streaks  in  the  west ; 
Nomel  Hiwili,  a  bird  with  wrhite-tipped  wings  which  comes  down  with 

a  buzz  very  quickly ;  Nom  Sowiwi, 5    Nom  Toposloni,  west  fir 

bark  ;  Norbis,  dwelling  or  sitting  in  the  south  ;  N6rhara  Chepmis, 
heavy  south  wind  with  rain;  Norpatsas,  southern  fire  sparks;  Norwan, 

;  Notudui    Ulumus,  he  stoops  and  picks  up  stones ;    Pai   Hom- 

homa,  he  buzzes  in  the  manzanita ;  Patkilis,  jack  rabbit ;  Puik6  Tsumu, 
a  deep  red  flint ;  Saiai  Not,  hollow  arrow  ;  Saias,  white  flint ;  Sanihas, 
daylight ;  Sau,  acorn  bread  ;  Sawe,  mixed  white  and  blue  flint;  Sedit, 
coyote  ;  Sehinom  Chabutu,  chicken  hawk  ;  Serin  Dolite,  small  bumble 
bee  ;  Siriwit,  whirlwind ;  Sutunut,  black  eagle  ;  Tede  Wiu,  a  small 
brown  bird  about  as  large  as  an  English  sparrow ;  Tenek  Not,  a  kind  of 
arrow;  Tidok,  ant;  Tsanteris,  a  kind  of  shell;  Tsotso  tokos,  a  small 
very  adhesive  burr ;  Tsudi,  mouse ;  Tsuini,  a  kind  of  small  fish ; 
Tubuk, ;  Tuichi  kelis,  feathered  head  net ;  Wai  Charatawa, 


Norwan  7 1 


;  Waida  Werris,  polar  star  ;  Wainom  Yola,  northwestern  snow; 

Wai  Hau,  northern  red  fox  ;  Wai  Not,  northern  arrow;  Wik,  small 
night  hawk  ;  Wai  Karili,  northern  coon ;  Wul  Wuhl,  linnet  j  Yipokus, 
black  fox. 


AT  a  place  east  of  Pas  Puisono  a  woman  came 
up    out    of    the     earth.      Her     name    was 
Hluyuk    Tikimit.      She    had   another  name,  Pom 
Norwanen  Pitchenl     We  call  her  also  Norwan. 

She  appeared  before  the  present  Wintu  people 
came  out  of  the  ground,  at  Tsarau  Heril. 

"  I  am  in  this  world  now,"  said  Norwan  to  her 
self.  cc  I  will  look  around  everywhere  to  see  from 
what  places  people  are  coming." 

She  lived  alone  in  her  sweat-house,  which  was 
called  Norwan  Buli  Hlut,  remained  in  the  house 
and  danced  during  daylight. 

Olelbis  looked  down  at  this  woman  and  said, — 

"  This  is  my  sister,  who  has  come  up  before  the 
new  people  on  earth.  I  don't  know  what  she  will 
do  yet." 

When  Olelbis  was  building  his  sweat-house  in 
Olelpanti,  he  cut  a  piece  from  a  white-oak  tree,  and 
this  piece  rolled  down  outside  the  sky  to  the  lower 
world,  where  it  became  a  people  in  Nor  Puiken,  in 
the  southeast,  and  that  people  were  there  before 
the  present  Wintus  came  out  of  the  ground  at 
Tsarau  Heril. 

"  My  dear  sister  has  come  up  before  the  Wintus, 
and  will  be  with  them  hereafter,"  said  Olelbis.  "  I 
have  not  settled  yet  how  her  work  is  to  be,  have 
not  made  her  ready  for  it." 


72      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

He  put  his  hand  toward,  the  southeast  then,  and 
took  yosoii  (a  plant  that  has  a  red  blossom).  He 
gave  this  plant  to  Norwan,  and  said, — 

"  Take  this,  my  sister,  and  when  you  dance  use 
it  as  a  staff.  It  will  have  a  blossom  on  the  top 
which  will  be  blooming  always." 

He  reached  southeast  to  the  same  place,  took  a 
small  bird,  plucked  a  feather  from  each  wing,  gave 
the  feathers  to  Norwan,  and  said, — 

"  My  sister,  thrust  these  through  your  hair,  just 
above  your  forehead,  one  on  each  side.  These 
feathers  will  begin  to  sing  in  the  morning  early ; 
you  will  know  by  them  at  what  time  you  must 
begin  to  dance." 

He  stretched  his  hand  again  to  the  southeast,  and 
took  buri  luli,  which  is  a  little  red  blossom  that 
grows  in  spring  on  a  plant  about  a  foot  high.  He 
gave  the  blossoms  to  Norwan  and  said,  — 

"  Roll  this  in  your  hands,  crush  it,  put  the  juice 
on  your  face,  and  make  your  cheeks  red." 

Olelbis  turned  then  to  his  grandmothers,  who 
were  standing  near  by,  and  asked  if  they  had  acorns. 

"We  have,"  said  they.     "We  have  plenty." 

Olelbis  took  a  handful,  gave  them  to  his  sister, 
and  said,  — 

"When  you  shell  these  acorns,  rub  them  between 
your  palms  and  hold  your  hands  open  ;  blow  the 
dust  which  scatters ;  you  will  see  it  rise  high  into 
the  trees,  and  acorns  will  come  on  them." 

It  was  on  the  first  morning  after  she  had  come 
to  Norwan  Bull  that  Olelbis  gave  Norwan  the  staff, 
feathers,  blossoms,  and  acorns.  On  the  second 


Norwan  73 


morning  very  early  the  feathers  began  to  sing ;  then 
flocks  of  birds  of  their  kind  came  flying  toward  the 
sweat-house,  and  Norwan  heard  a  voice  far  up  in 
the  sky  calling  to  her,  and  saying,  — 

"  My  brother's  daughter,  you  have  come  upon 
earth  before  the  Wintu  people,  and  are  dancing. 
When  you  dance  you  must  not  look  toward  the 
west,  nor  the  north,  nor  the  south,  but  turn  your 
face  and  look  toward  Hlihli  Pui  Hlutton  in  the 
southeast,  the  place  from  which  your  staff  and  your 
paint  came/' 

While  this  man  was  talking,  Norwan  looked  up 
and  saw  him  sitting  with  one  leg  crossed  upon  the 
other.  He  was  holding  a  handful  of  white-oak 
acorns  in  his  hand,  and  was  sitting  over  the  door  of 
the  sweat-house  in  Olelpanti.  It  was  Kar  Kiemila. 

"  Now,  my  brother,"  said  Olelbis  to  Hessiha, 
who  lived  with  him  in  Olelpanti,  "  I  think  it  is  best 
for  you  to  go  down  to  our  sister  and  stay  with  her. 
Live  with  her  always.  When  your  feathers  drop 
away  or  are  pulled  off  hereafter,  they  will  become 
like  you,  and  there  will  be  hessihas  on  the  earth 
everywhere.  Our  sister  will  tell  you  what  to  do. 
You  will  stay  with  her,  never  leave  her.  The 
people  will  call  our  sister  Bastepomas,  because  she 
is  the  food-giving  woman.  When  you  see  any 
thing,  let  her  know;  when  you  hear  anything, 
tell  her ;  when  you  want  to  do  anything,  ask  leave 
of  her." 

Hessiha  went  down  to  live  with  his  sister.  Next 
day  he  saw  a  woman  coming  from  the  east  and 
going  west.  He  told  Norwan,  and  she  said,  — 


74      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  Watch  which  way  she  goes,  my  brother.  Per 
haps  she  will  come  to  us  here." 

He  watched.  She  came  straight  to  Norwan 
Buli. 

"  My  younger  sister/'  said  she  to  Norwan,  cc  I 
came  out  in  the  east,  but  I  don't  like  to  live  there. 
I  have  left  that  place,  and  am  going  far  away  to  the 
west.  In  the  evening  look  westward,  a  little  after 
sunset,  you  will  see  a  red,  yellow,  and  white  person, 
Nomdal  Lenas  Loimis.  I  am  she.  I  shall  look 
nice.  That  is  the  kind  of  person  that  I  am.  I 
shall  live  in  the  west  always,  and  you  will  see  me 
there  as  streaks  of  colored  light.  I  will  turn  my 
face  to  the  east  every  evening  on  pleasant  days,  and 
all  the  Wintu  people  will  say  when  they  see  me, 
c  Winis  Nomdal  Lenas  Loimis ' :"  (look  at  Nomdal 
Lenas  Loimis). 

"  Very  well,"  said  Norwan,  "  I  am  glad  to  hear 
what  you  say,  my  elder  sister." 

Nomdal  Lenas  went  off  to  the  west.  She  was  an 
immensely  large  woman  with  a  big  face,  her  hair 
was  cut  across  her  forehead,  and  this  made  it  look 
beautiful.  She  was  the  first  woman  in  the  world 
who  cut  her  hair  in  that  fashion.  Her  face  was 
painted  in  streaks  of  red,  yellow,  and  white. 

Next  morning  Hessiha  saw  another  woman  com 
ing  from  the  east.  She  stopped  at  Norwan  Buli, 
and  said,  — 

"  My  younger  sister,  we  came  upon  this  earth  at 
the  same  time,  before  the  Wintu  people.  I  am 
going  to  the  west  a  little  distance.  I  came  out  in 
the  east,  but  I  did  not  like  the  place  there.  I  am 


Norwan  75 


going  to  Bohem  Bull.  I  will  stay  there  and  live 
on  the  north  side  of  the  mountain.  I  will  be  a 
mountain  woman.  My  name  is  Kukupiwit  Pokte." 

She  went  to  Bohem  Buli. 

Norwan  danced  always  during  daylight,  never 
stopped  in  the  daytime,  never  rested  till  evening. 

Norbis  Kiemila,  the  white  oak  which  rolled  to 
the  southeast,  looked  toward  the  northwest  and 
saw  Norwan.  "  I  see  my  wife  on  this  earth," 
said  he. 

One  evening  Hessiha  and  Norwan  were  in  the 
sweat-house,  and  Hessiha  said, — 

"  My  sister,  I  have  heard  news  to-day  from 
Norbis  Kiemila.  He  says  that  you  are  to  be  his 
wife." 

She  said  nothing,  and  Hessiha  talked  on  :  "  My 
sister,  I  heard  a  man  say  that  he  would  come  to  see 
you.  He  lives  at  Sonomyai  —  he  is  Sedit,  Sedit  of 
Sonomyai." 

"  My  brother,"  said  Norwan,  "what  are  you 
telling  me  ?  " 

"  I  am  telling  you,  my  sister,  what  I  have  heard. 
Sedit  is  coming." 

"  Why  does  he  come  ?  I  don't  like  him.  He 
has  a  bad  breath." 

Next  morning  Norwan  rose  and  began  to  dance. 

"  My  sister,"  said  Hessiha,  that  evening,  "  I  hear 
that  a  man  is  coming  from  Chanahl  Puyuk,  a  good 
man.  His  name  is  Kaukau  Herit.  He  is  coming 
to  see  you." 

"  Why  does  he  come  here  ? "  asked  Norwan. 
"  His  neck  is  too  long,  his  legs  are  too  long." 


76      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  Well,  my  sister,  I  have  heard  that  a  man  who 
lives  far  away  west  is  coming  to  see  you,  Kobalus 
Herit.  He  is  a  good  man.  He  lives  at  Nomken 
Kobalus  Waimemton." 

"  That  man  has  a  crooked  nose,"  said  Norwan, 
"  and  a  crooked  mouth.  I  don't  like  him,  he  is  all 
twisted." 

Next  evening  Hessiha  said,  — 

"  There  is  a  man  who  lives  at  the  same  place  as 
Kobalus  Herit.  He  wants  to  see  you.  His  name 
is  Tsanteris  Herit." 

"  That  man  has  a  hollow  breast,"  said  Norwan. 
"  I  don't  like  him." 

"A  man  from  the  far  north  is  coming,  Keli 
Herit." 

"  I  don't  like  him,"  said  Norwan ;  "  he  has  a 
bad  odor.  He  smells  like  the  earth." 

"A  man  from  way  down  south,  Bisus  Herit, 
is  coming  to  see  you." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  like  him  ;  his  legs  are  too  short ; 
he  eats  bony  fish." 

"  My  sister,  a  man  is  coming  who  lives  a  short 
distance  south  of  us,  Tede  Wiu  Herit." 

"I  don't  like  him;  he  has  too  much  breast;  it 
sticks  out  too  much." 

"  My  sister,  Katsi  Herit,  is  coming." 

"  I  know  him,"  said  Norwan.  "  He  is  too  quick 
tempered  :  he  gets  angry  too  easily." 

"  Chati  Wai  Halina  Herit  is  coming  to  see 
you." 

"  I  don't  like  him  ;  he  smells  of  pitch  always. 

"  I  must  go  now  for  wood  ;  we  have  no  wood  this 


Norwan  77 


evening,"  said  Norwan,  and  she  went  out  to  bring 
some.  She  brought  an  armful,  and  while  going  to 
the  same  place  for  a  second  bundle  she  heard  some 
one  coming.  A  man  took  her  by  the  arm.  She 
turned,  and  saw  Sedit  of  Sonomyai  dressed  beauti 
fully.  She  pushed  him  away  and  ran  home.  Sedit 
did  not -follow  her. 

Next  morning  early  she  went  out,  and  looking 
at  one  side  of  the  door  saw  two  stones  lying  there, 
and  a  hooked  stick  four  or  five  feet  long,  called 
lakus,  used  to  pull  a  limb  of  a  tree  toward  you. 
She  broke  the  stones  to  pieces,  broke  the  stick, 
threw  the  pieces  in  the  fire,  and  burned  them.  She 
knew  that  some  man  had  put  them  there  and  in 
tended  to  come.  That  night  she  was  lying  on  the 
south  side  of  the  sweat-house  and  her  brother  on 
the  north.  It  was  dark,  and  they  heard  some  one 
coming  toward  the  house.  The  stranger  came 
in,  sat  down  behind  Hessiha,  sat  with  his  head 
between  his  hands ;  his  hair  was  sticking  out,  and 
looked  as  though  it  had  never  been  combed.  Nor 
wan  looked  at  this  person,  never  took  her  eyes  from 
him,  but  said  not  a  word,  and  he  said  nothing. 
After  a  while  he  stood  up  and  walked  out.  While 
going  he  threw  something  toward  Norwan.  It  fell 
near  her,  and  she  picked  it  up.  It  was  a  small  net 
bag  half  full  of  mice.  She  threw  it  after  the  stranger. 
He  was  Chati  Wai  Halina. 

When  morning  came,  Norwan  took  a  bundle 
of  brush,  went  to  where  the  visitor  had  sat, 
swept  the  place  clean,  and  threw  fresh  earth 
on  it. 


78      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

The  next  night  they  heard  some  one  walking 
outside.  Soon  a  man  came  in.  He  had  a  quiver 
in  his  hand  made  of  deerskin.  He  looked  around 
and  went  over  behind  the  place  where  Norwan  was 
lying  and  sat  down.  She  lay  there  looking  at  him. 
After  sitting  awhile  he  lay  down,  stayed  all  night, 
and  went  away  just  at  daybreak.  This  was  Norbis 
Kiemila. 

In  the  early  morning  before  dancing  she  built  a 
fire  outside  and  sat  down  at  it.  That  same  morn 
ing  Hessiha  saw  a  man  coming  toward  them,  coming 
from  the  southeast.  When  he  came  to  where  Nor 
wan  was  at  the  fire,  he  sat  down.  His  name  was 
Serin  Dolite.  He  wore  a  bunch  of  fresh  leaves  on 
each  side  of  his  head.  He  had  a  second  name,  Pai 
Homhoma. 

"  My  sister,"  said  this  man,  "  I  have  come  because 
my  uncle  sent  me  to  tell  you  that  the  people  at 
Hlihli  Pui  Hlutton  finished  talking  yesterday,  and 
they  are  going  to  have  a  great  feast  and  a  pleasant 
time.  'Tell  my  niece,'  said  he,  cto  come  and 
dance  with  us/  My  uncle  is  Kopus  Kiemila.  He 
is  named  also  Pui  Uhlukyo.  He  is  a  Hlahi.  He 
sent  word  to  Norbis  two  days  ago,  and  he  sent  word 
to  Kaukau  Herit.  He  has  sent  word  everywhere. 
There  will  be  a  great  many  people  in  Hlihli  Pui 
Hlutton.  He  has  sent  word  to  Sedit,  who  lives 
at  Sonomyai,  and  to  Katsi  Herit,  who  lives  opposite 
Pas  Puisono,  and  to  Kobalus  Herit  and  Tsanteris 
Herit  and  Keli  Herit  and  to  Tede  Wiu  Herit,  who 
lives  at  Koi  Nomsono,  and  many  others.  He 
has  sent  to  your  brother  Waida  Werris.  Waida 


Norwan  79 


Werris   may  come ;    he   may  not.    Kopus   Kiemila 
wants  you  to  come  surely." 

"  Very   well,"    said    Norwan,    "  I    will    go    to 


morrow." 


Serin  Dolite  was  satisfied  and  went  away. 

"  Now,  my  little  brother,"  said  Norwan  to  Hes- 
siha  that  night,  "  I  am  going  away  to-morrow. 
You  will  stay  here,  I  hope.  I  shall  be  glad  if 
you  stay  at  home  and  take  care  of  this  house." 

When  she  rose  in  the  morning,  she  stretched  her 
right  hand  toward  the  southeast  and  got  buri  lull, 
which  are  very  beautiful  red  flowers.  She  put  her 
hand  there  a  second  time,  and  to  her  hand  came 
hawe  luli,  pure  white  blossoms,  for  clothing.  A 
third  time  she  put  her  hand  out,  and  hluyuk  luli, 
which  are  the  star  flowers,  came  on  it.  These  she 
put  around  her  head  as  a  garland,  and  made  shoes 
of  the  same  flowers.  Then  she  took  her  staff 
yosoii. 

"  My  brother,"  said  she,  when  dressed,  "  I  am 
ready  to  go." 

"  My  brother's  daughter,"  called  Kar  Kiemila 
from  Olelpanti  when  she  was  starting,  "go  and 
dance.  I  will  sit  here  and  look  at  you."  Sweat- 
house  doors  look  toward  the  south  usually, 
but  the  great  one  above,  made  by  Olelbis,  on 
which  Kar  Kiemila  was  sitting,  had  its  door  in  the 
east,  because  Olelbis  took  most  of  his  beautiful 
things  from  the  southeast,  and  he  could  look  down 
in  that  direction  from  the  door  of  his  house  in 
Olelpanti.  The  door  in  Hlihli  Pui  Hlutton  was 
toward  the  west,  because  from  that  door  they  could 


8o      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

see  the  great  house  in  Olelpanti.  The  house 
built  by  Olelbis  was  the  best  in  all  the  world, 
above  or  below.  Kopus  Kiemila's  house  was 
second  to  it,  and  the  best  in  the  lower  land. 

Norwan  went  at  the  time  appointed,  and  Hes- 
siha  stayed  behind  at  Norwan  Buli.  When  Serin 
Dolite  brought  the  invitation,  Norwan  made  him 
promise  to  meet  her  on  the  road. 

"You  must  come,"  said  she,  "to  give  me  news 
before  I  reach  the  sweat-house." 

Just  at  the  edge  of  a  place  called  Pui  Toror, 
Serin  Dolite  ran  out  and  met  Norwan. 

"Oh,  my  sister,"  said  he,  "Kopus  Kiemila  sent 
me  to  say  to  you  to  come  quickly,  to  hurry.  The 
people  from  every  place  are  there  now.  All  those 
have  come  of  whom  I  told  you,  except  Norbis  and 
your  brother  Waida  Werris ;  they  have  not  come 
yet.  Besides  others,  Boki  Kiemila  from  Hlop 
Henmenas  has  come.  You  must  hurry  as  much 
as  you  can,  and  come  quickly." 

When  he  had  given  the  message,  he  rushed  back 
and  left  Norwan  to  travel  at  her  own  pace.  She 
went  along  the  top  of  Pui  Toror,  and  came  to  a  spot 
where  she  heard  much  laughing  and  talking.  Soon 
she  saw  a  large  crowd  of  children  playing.  The 
ground  was  smooth,  —  no  rocks,  no  grass,  just 
level  land.  When  she  came  up,  the  children  said 
to  her, — 

"  Our  elder  sister,  we  want  to  see  the  dance.  We 
want  to  go  to  the  sweat-house,  but  we  have  noth 
ing  to  wear;  we  have  no  clothes  and  we  can  get 
none." 


Norwan  8 1 


The  girls  were  all  of  the  Tsudi  people,  the  boys, 
Patkilises.  Norwan  looked  around  and  saw  at 
some  distance  a  great  many  sunflower  leaves. 

"  We  took  leaves  like  those,"  said  one  of  the 
boys,  "  and  tried  to  put  them  on  as  ears,  but  we 
could  not  make  them  stay.'* 

Norwan  stretched  her  hand  southward,  and  gray 
fog  which  rises  from  water  came  on  it.  She  put 
this  fog  on  a  Patkilis  boy  to  wear.  She  stretched 
her  hand  to  the  east,  and  red  and  yellow  feathers 
came  to  it.  Of  these  she  made  ears  for  that  Patkilis 
boy.  She  put  her  hand  south  and  found  willow 
catkins,  white  ones,  and  made  a  tail  and  put  it  on 
the  Patkilis  boy.  She  gave  him  shoes  made  of  the 
catkins.  When  that  one  boy  was  dressed,  she  said, 
"  Let  all  the  others  be  like  this  one ; "  and  that 
moment  all  Patkilis  boys  were  like  him. 

Now  she  took  acorn  mould,  green  and  brown, 
put  it  on  one  of  the  Tsudi  girls.  She  took  yosoii 
leaves  from  her  staff  (the  leaves  are  like  mice  ears), 
and  put  them  on  the  girl  for  ears.  She  took  more 
acorn  mould,  rubbed  and  rolled  it  out  like  a  little 
stick,  and  made  a  tail.  When  one  Tsudi  girl  was 
dressed  nicely,  she  said,  "  Let  all  the  others  be  like 
this  one;"  and  that  moment  they  were  like  her. 

"  Now,  sister,"  said  they,  "  we  are  ready." 

Norwan  started,  and  all  the  Tsudi  girls  and  Pat 
kilis  boys  went  with  her.  When  they  came  to  the 
door  of  the  sweat-house,  they  looked  around  and 
saw  that  all  the  trees  were  full  of  fresh,  beautiful 
acorns;  the  top  of  the  house  was  covered  with  them. 

There  were   piles   and  piles  of  acorns  inside    and 

6 


82      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

around  the  sweat-house,  and  a  little  way  off  a  great 
many  trees  were  loaded  with  fruit. 

From  Olelpanti  they  could  see  down  into  Hlihli 
Puihlutton.  All  persons  who  had  come  were 
inside.  Norwan  looked  in  and  saw  many  people, 
all  looking  toward  the  door. 

"  See  Norwan  coming,"  said  they.  "  She  is 
beautiful,  —  oh,  she  is  beautiful!" 

Kopus  Kiemila  was  on  the  south  side,  near  the 
door.  He  had  five  sacks  of  acorns  near  him.  He 
was  singing  over  them,  singing  about  health  and 
soundness.  When  he  saw  Norwan,  he  said,  — 

"  Come  in ;  come  in,  my  brother's  daughter. 
You  are  one  of  the  last.  All  have  come  but 
two." 

She  went  beyond  Kopus  to  a  seat.  A  young 
woman  who  was  sitting  near  rose  and  said,  — 

"  Come,  my  sister ;  come  and  sit  with  me." 

This  was  Hlihli  Loimis.  Her  brother  Hlihli 
Herit  stood  always  on  top  of  Kopus's  house  and 
called,  "  Hai  !  Hai !  "  which  means  "  Come ! 
Come  !  "  and  beckoned  with  his  hand  for  people 
to  enter. 

Norwan  sat  down  at  the  south  side  of  the  door, 
and  all  the  Tsudi  and  Patkilis  children  took  their 
places  behind  her. 

"You  are  almost  the  last  to  come,"  said  Hlihli 
Loimis.  "  Look  at  the  north  side  of  the  house. 
See  how  many  people  are  there.  See  the  light ; 
that  is  Kaukau  Herit.  He  is  white  and  shining; 
light  beams  from  him." 

"  Now,"  said  Kopus,  "  all  you  people  from  the 


Norwan  8  3 


north,  my  sons-in-law  and  my  daughters-in-law, 
make  ready  to  dance." 

The  northern  people  rose  at  his  call  and  danced. 
Kaukau  Herit  danced.  When  he  rose  and  moved, 
it  was  as  when  a  light  is  brought  into  a  dark  place. 
He  danced  five  times  and  sat  down. 

"Now,  my  sons-in-law,"  said  Kopus,  "sit  back 
and  look  on.  My  sons-in-law  from  the  west,  you 
will  dance  now ;  dance  you,  Katsi  Herit  and  Sedit 
of  Sonomyai,  and  dance  you,  my  daughters-in-law." 

The  western  people  danced ;  Sedit,  Boki,  all 
danced.  While  they  were  dancing,  they  dropped 
beautiful  shells.  These  shells  fell  from  them  as 
snow  falls  from  the  sky,  and  the  whole  floor  was 
covered  with  shells,  just  as  mountains  in  winter  are 
covered  with  snow. 

"  Now  sit  back  and  look  on,"  said  Kopus.  The 
western  people  sat  down. 

"  My  sons-in-law  and  my  daughters-in-law," 
called  Kopus  to  the  southern  people,  "  make  ready 
to  dance." 

The  two  Tede  Wiu  brothers  from  Koi  Nom- 
sono  were  to  lead  the  southern  people  in  the 
dance.  Kopus  called  five  times ;  the  southern 
people  did  not  move.  Then  the  elder  Tede 
Wiu  made  a  step  and  stopped ;  when  he  raised 
his  foot  to  take  a  second  step,  all  began  to  dance. 
Both  brothers  carried  a  load  of  mempak  on  their 
arms,  and  each  had  a  flint  knife.  As  they  danced 
they  attached  long  strings  of  mempak  to  one  side 
of  the  house  higher  than  a  man's  head  ;  they  ex 
tended  the  strings  to  the  other  side  and  tied  them 


84     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

there.  They  stretched  mempak  in  this  way  from 
side  to  side  as  they  danced,  and  from  end  to  end, 
lengthwise  and  crosswise ;  then  they  danced  under 
it.  The  beautiful  strings  were  shining  in  every 
color  just  above  their  heads.  The  music,  the 
mempak,  and  the  dancing  were  so  beautiful  that  all 
were  delighted ;  all  people  were  glad ;  they  could 
hardly  sit  still  and  look  on. 

The  brothers  danced  up  to  where  Kopus  was  sit 
ting,  took  strings  of  shell  and  mempak  from  their 
necks  and  heads,  and  put  them  down  before  him ; 
next  they  put  down  their  two  beautiful  knives. 
When  they  had  done  this  they  danced  away  to  the 
other  end  of  the  sweat-house,  and  then  danced  up 
again  to  where  Kopus  was. 

Norwan  rose  and  began  to  dance  without  know 
ing  it.  She  could  not  help  dancing.  Every  one 
looked  at  her.  She  danced  with  the  two  brothers, 
danced  away  to  the  other  side  of  the  house  with 
them.  Only  after  a  time  did  she  see  that  she  was 
dancing. 

The  two  brothers  sat  down  ;  she  sat  with  them. 
Then  the  three  stood  up  and  went  out. 

They  had  just  gone  when  Norbis  came  in.  He 
was  splendidly  dressed,  wore  mempak,  had  a  gar 
land  of  fresh  young  leaves  on  his  head,  and  on  the 
top  of  it  mempak.  He  sat  down  and  asked  some 
one  near  by,  — 

"  Where  is  my  wife  ?  " 

"  Norwan  has  gone  with  the  two  Tede  Wiu 
brothers." 

"  I  don't  believe  that !  "  said  Norbis. 


Norwan  85 


He  sprang  up,  went  around,  and  asked  others. 
All  said,  "  She  is  with  the  Tede  Wiu  brothers." 

At  last  Norbis  went  out,  taking  his  people. 
They  had  gone  into  the  house,  but  had  not 
danced.  They  followed  at  his  call.  He  went 
swiftly  to  the  northwest  to  overtake  the  two 
brothers. 

The  dance  was  at  an  end.  All  started  home. 
Daylight  was  near. 

The  two  brothers  did  not  go  to  Norwan  Buli 
Hlut,  which  was  farther  north  than  Koi  Nomsono. 
They  kept  the  woman  at  their  own  house  till 
morning.  When  they  reached  home  each  of  the 
brothers  said,  — 

"  My  people,  be  ready  for  a  great  hunt  at 
daybreak." 

When  daylight  came  the  elder  brother  said,  — 

"  Come,  my  people,  we  will  eat  together.  You 
must  all  eat  with  me  this  morning." 

While  eating  they  heard  shouts  on  the  west  bank 
of  Bohema  Mem,  and  soon  they  saw  two  men  run 
ning  toward  them,  —  men  finely  dressed,  with 
plumes  on  their  heads.  The  men  crossed  the 
river,  and  came  to  the  house  of  the  Tede  Wius. 
They  were  the  Wul  Wuhl  brothers. 

"  We  are  here  to  tell  you,"  said  they,  "  that 
Norbis  is  very  angry.  He  has  roused  all  his  people, 
and  they  are  coming.  He  has  sent  us  to  tell  you 
that  he  is  beyond  the  Bohema  Mem  waiting  for 
you.  Norbis  asks  you  to  send  out  that  woman 
to  him." 

The  brothers  said  nothing. 


86      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  If  you  give  her,  he  will  go  home  ;  if  not,  he 
will  fight  with  you." 

"  We  cannot  give  her,"  said  the  elder  Tede  Wiu. 
"  We  did  not  go  to  the  dance  for  her ;  we  did  not 
take  her  away  from  it.  She  came  with  us  of  her 
own  will.  If  we  give  her  away,  she  may  come 
back  right  away  to  us.  She  can  go  where  she 
likes,  but  we  will  not  give  her  to  any  one." 

The  two  messengers  took  this  answer  to  Norbis. 

"  I  believe  this  man  will  come  against  us,"  said 
each  of  the  brothers.  They  went  into  the  house 
and  brought  out  elkskin  armor.1 

"  Come,  my  people,"  said  the  elder,  "  take  these, 
put  them  on." 

They  brought  out  more  and  more  armor  of  un- 
tanned  elkskin,  and  the  people  began  to  make  ready 
for  battle.  It  was  not  long  till  they  saw  two  other 
men  coming.  These  did  not  cross  the  river.  They 
stood  on  the  western  bank  and  shouted,  — 

"  Be  ready  !  Prepare  for  battle  !  Norbis  asks 
you  to  come  to  the  river  and  cross.  We  will  fight 
you  on  this  side." 

When  the  brothers  heard  this,  their  people  put 
on  the  elkskins  and  hastened.  The  brothers  left 
Norwan  in  their  house,  and  bound  it  outside  with 
mempak.  The  whole  house  was  covered  with  mem- 
pak ;  no  one  could  get  out,  no  one  could  go  in, 
they  thought. 

This  done,  the  brothers  crossed  the  river  with 
their  men.  They  looked  down  toward  the  south, 
and  saw  Norbis  with  his  people  moving  along  on 

1  Untanned  elkskin  was  formerly  used  as  armor  by  the  Indians. 


Norwan  87 


the  western  bank  of  Bohema  Mem,  and  they  ex 
tended  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see. 

"There  are  none  there  but  Norbis  and  his 
people,"  said  the  Wul  Wuhl  brothers ;  "  they  are 
not  all  like  him,  but  they  are  all  his  people." 

The  forces  met,  and  both  sides  began  to  fight  at 
once,  and  fought  stubbornly.  Norbis  drove  the 
Tede  Wiu  brothers  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  but 
they  rallied  at  the  river  bank  and  drove  back  his 
forces.  A  second  time  Norbis  pushed  them  to  the 
river;  a  second  time  they  rallied  and  drove  him 
back,  drove  back  all  his  people.  They  fought  all 
day,  each  side  driving  the  other  in  turn.  It  was  a 
hard  and  bloody  battle ;  many  were  killed  on  both 
sides.  Neither  won,  and  both  were  very  angry. 
When  night  came  the  Tede  Wiu  brothers  said,  — 

"  We  will  stop  for  to-day.  If  you  wish  to  fight 
to-morrow,  we  will  meet  you  here." 

"  I  will  meet  you  here,"  answered  Norbis. 

The  Tede  Wiu  brothers  went  home.  They 
found  Norwan  where  they  had  left  her,  fastened  in 
with  mempak.  That  evening,  when  all  were  as 
sembled  and  were  talking,  the  elder  brother  said : 

"  My  people,  if  they  want  to  fight  to-morrow  we 
will  fight  with  them." 

He  called  a  messenger  then  and  said, — 

"  Go  you  and  tell  my  brother  Sehinom  Chabatu 
to  come  and  help  me,  and  to  come  early  in  the 
morning.  Go  also  to  Waiti  Nomken,  a  place  on 
the  upper  Bohema  Mem,  to  two  women  Kawas 
Loimis;  let  them  know  that  we  are  fighting.  On 
this  side  of  their  house  lives  Chir  Chuma,  a  lame 


88      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

man ;  let  him  know.  Opposite  Pas  Puisono  lives 
Katsi  Herit.  Tell  him  to  come  early  to-morrow. 
A  short  distance  from  Tsarau  Heril  lives  Wik 
Herit.  Tell  him  to  be  here.  These  are  all  great 
men,  and  each  will  bring  his  people.  There  is  a 
man  who  lives  at  Kilichepin  Kenharas.  Kilichepis 
is  his  name.  Tell  him  to  come  with  his  people. 
There  is  a  man  who  lives  at  Sudi  Sawul.  His 
name  is  Tuichi  Kelis.  Tell  this  man  that  I  expect 
him  early  with  his  people.  All  these  big  men  will 
help  us  greatly." 

Norbis  sent  messengers  to  his  friends.  They 
went  southeast,  south  and  southwest.  He  sent 
southeast  to  Saias  Saias  Herit  and  south  for  Hus 
Herit.  He  sent  for  Karili  Herit;  for  Tcutuhl 
Herit. 

Next  morning  about  daylight  the  friends  of  the 
Tede  Wiu  brothers  came.  All  came  who  had  been 
called,  each  bringing  his  own  people.  Friends  came 
to  Norbis  in  the  same  way ;  none  of  those  invited 
failed  on  either  side. 

When  all  Tede  Wiu's  friends  had  come,  the 
elder  brother  confined  Norwan  as  on  the  first  day. 
He  bound  the  house  all  around  with  mempak. 
They  started  then,  and  crossed  the  river  with  many 
people.  Chir  Chuma  had  come.  He  was  so  lame 
that  he  could  not  walk,  and  had  two  men  to  carry 
him.  These  were  the  two  Siriwit  brothers  (whirl 
winds).  (The  whirlwinds  were  people  at  that  time.) 

The  Siriwits  carried  Chir  Chuma  on  two  sticks. 
He  sat  on  the  sticks.  One  brother  held  the  sticks 
behind,  and  the  other  in  front.  They  moved 


I  UNITERSITTl 

^C£AUFO^>^ 
Norwan  89 


around  with  great  speed,  and  travelled  as  easily  on 
water  as  on  land.  When  the  two  brothers  had 
crossed  the  river,  they  saw  two  more  lame  men, 
one  coming  from  the  north,  Chali  Dokos :  he  was 
carried  by  Wainot  Herit.  The  other  was  Sawi 
Herit;  he  was  coming  from  the  west,  carried  by 
Kichinot  Herit. 

After  Tede  Wiu's  forces  had  crossed  the  river, 
the  Wul  Wuhl  brothers  came  from  Norbis,  and 
said,  — 

"  There  are  many  people  coming  from  the  south 
with  Norbis  to-day.  You  will  have  a  heavy  battle." 

Sehinom  saw  the  southern  people  coming,  and 
said  to  the  elder  Tede  Wiu,  — 

"  My  brother,  I  will  be  with  you  all  the  time. 
I  will  guard  you." 

Three  of  Tede  Wiu's  men,  Wik  Herit,  Tuichi 
Kelis,  and  Kilichepis,  said,  — 

"  We  will  go  together.  We  will  go  to  the  eastern 
side,  near  the  river,  and  take  our  people  with  us." 

When  going  they  turned  to  the  Wul  Wuhl  broth 
ers  or  Norbis's  men,  and  said, — 

"  Tell  Saias  Saias  Herit,  Koip  Herit,  and  Tsutsu 
Herit  to  come  toward  the  river.  We  will  fight 
them  there." 

"  I  will,"  said  the  elder  Wul  Wuhl ;  and  turning 
to  Chir  Chuma,  he  said  :  "  There  is  a  man  with  a  net 
coming  from  the  south,  Karili  Herit ;  he  will  fight 
with  you." 

The  Kawas  sisters  came  now  on  Tede  Wiu's 
side,  bringing  food,  elkskins,  and  arrows  for  their 
brother,  Sehinom  Chabatu.  They  did  not  go  where 


90      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

the  fighting  was,  but  stood  back  in  the  rear  a  little. 
Now  Wai  Charatawa  came  to  Tede  Wiu's  side.  He 
was  a  very  small  man  and  left-handed,  but  a  great 
chief,  a  brother  to  Sehinom  and  to  Wik  Herit. 
He  had  his  hair  tied  up  and  fastened  in  front 
with  a  long  bone  sharp  at  one  end. 

Norhara  Chepmis  came  to  help  Norbis  on  the 
southern  side. 

Before  the  struggle  began  Norbis  sent  a  message 
to  the  brothers,  asking,  "  Are  you  willing  to  give 
up  that  woman  ?  " 

They  refused. 

"  Now,  my  people,"  said  Norbis,  "  we  are  going 
to  fight.  I  have  done  what  I  could  to  persuade 
these  brothers  to  give  up  Norwan,  but  they  refuse, 
and  we  are  going  to  fight  a  second  time." 

At  this  moment  Kiri  Hubit  came  from  the  south, 
a  strong  man.  He  went  to  the  east  side  to  fight. 
He  had  only  one  arrow  without  a  point. 

When  all  these  forces  met,  there  was  a  terrible 
uproar. 

"  Now,"  cried  Wul  Wuhl,  "  a  man  from  the  south 
is  coming;  he  is  small,  but  brave  and  quick-tem 
pered,  a  terrible  fighter.  He  will  strike  on  the  left 
flank.  His  name  is  Nor  Patsas  Herit." 

Yipokus  Herit,  who  lived  on  the  northeastern 
slope  of  Bohem  Puyuk,  was  to  be  on  the  field  at 
midday ;  he  was  the  one  to  fight  Nor  Patsas.  His 
weapons  were  ice  and  snow. 

Just  at  this  time  Norwan  found  a  weak  place  in 
the  mempak  and  untied  it.  As  soon  as  she  was  out 
she  went  home  to  Norwan  Buli. 


Norwan  9 1 


When  ready  to  meet,  the  two  armies  saw  a  very 
big  woman  coming  from  the  northwest :  an  old 
woman,  Nom  Toposloni  Pokaila.  She  was  carry 
ing  on  her  back  a  great  basket,  as  big  as  a  house. 
This  basket  was  full  of  pounded  fir-bark,  which 
makes  the  skin  itch  terribly  and  almost  blinds  every 
eye  that  it  touches. 

A  man  came  from  the  northwest  to  the  southern 
army,  and  said  to  Wul  Wuhl,  — 

"  Tell  your  man  Norhara  Chepmis  not  to  engage 
in  battle  ;  let  him  stand  aside  and  look  on.  I  will 
do  as  he  does."  This  man  was  Wainom  Yola 
Herit.  "  If  he  fights  on  the  southern  side,  I  will 
do  the  same  on  the  northern." 

Wul  Wuhl  gave  the  message.  Norhara  drew 
back,  and  Wainom  Yola  did  the  same. 

The  two  armies  stood  opposite,  each  looking 
the  other  in  the  face,  each  waiting  for  the  other 
to  begin. 

At  this  moment  the  Siriwit  brothers  left  the 
ranks  on  the  east,  the  left  wing  of  the  northern  army, 
and  went  careering  around  with  Chir  Chuma  on 
two  sticks.  Now  Nor  Patsas,  the  small  peevish 
southern  man,  saw  Chir  Chuma  (the  Siriwits 
were  invisible),  and  could  contain  his  wrath  no 
longer.  He  ran  at  the  lame  man  with  all  his  might. 
When  just  in  front  of  Chir  Chuma,  he  struck  the 
ground  with  his  brand,  and  one  hundred  people,  as 
passionate  and  peevish  as  himself,  sprang  up  around 
him.  But  Chir  Chuma  rode  right  over  Nor  Patsas. 
The  Siriwits  knocked  him  to  one  side,  rushed  across 
his  men,  trampled,  beat,  and  killed  them. 


92      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

The  Siriwit  brothers  went  some  distance  along  the 
front  rank,  then  turned  back  and  rushed  to  where 
Nor  Patsas  had  fallen.  He  was  on  his  feet  again, 
and  dashed  a  second  time  at  Chir  Chuma.  When 
just  before  the  enemy,  Nor  Patsas  struck  his  brand 
against  the  ground,  a  hundred  men  leaped  up 
around  him  ;  all  sprang  on  Chir  Chuma,  but  the  two 
brothers  scattered  and  trampled  every  one  of  them. 

Nor  Patsas  was  raging.  He  had  never  been  so 
angry  in  his  life  till  that  day.  He  turned  and  rushed 
at  the  northern  army.  He  struck  the  ground  once, 
twice,  three  times  with  his  brand,  and  three  hun 
dred  raging  men  were  there  around  him.  A  battle 
began  on  the  left  northern  wing,  fierce  and  very- 
bloody.  Nor  Patsas  found  no  one  to  match  him 
till  Chir  Chuma  returned.  The  Siriwits  were  some 
what  tired,  and  went  more  slowly  while  Chir  Chuma 
fought  with  Nor  Patsas.  Chir  Chuma  had  a  red 
flint,  called  also  sucker  flint.  With  every  blow  of 
this  he  killed  fifty  and  sometimes  sixty  people. 
When  Nor  Patsas  gave  a  blow,  he  killed  as  many, 
and  every  time  he  struck  the  ground  with  his  brand 
a  hundred  warriors  sprang  up  to  help  him. 

The  fight  begun  by  Nor  Patsas  with  Chir  Chuma 
brought  in  the  two  armies.  Both  sides  fought  des 
perately,  but  no  one  could  conquer  Nor  Patsas  till 
Yipokus  came  at  midday.  He  rushed  at  the 
peevish,  passionate  warrior  with  weapons  made  of 
ice  and  snow.  In  the  heat  of  battle  water  flowed 
from  them  and  killed  Nor  Patsas,  quenched  the 
life  in  him.  The  southern  army  was  pushed  back, 
and  driven  a  long  distance  down  the  river. 


Norwan  93 


In  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  they  rallied,  turned 
on  the  pursuers,  drove  them  to  the  field  where 
they  began  in  the  morning,  and  were  driving  them 
farther,  when  Nom  Toposloni  ran  past,  and,  throw 
ing  her  crushed  bark  with  the  wind,  filled  many  eyes 
with  it  and  almost  blinded  them.  She  brought 
disorder  to  the  southern  army. 

Norbis,  afraid  of  being  beaten,  was  ready  now  for 
anything.  He  called  in  Norhara  Chepmis,  who 
ran  swiftly  from  the  southwest  with  his  warriors. 
A  mighty  storm  of  wind  swept  forward  with  Nor 
hara.  He  struck  the  northern  army  fiercely. 
Wainom  Yola,  seeing  this,  rushed  at  the  southern 
force  with  all  his  people,  and  they  were  so  many 
that  no  man  could  count  them.  They  were  as  swift 
as  arrows.  A  roaring  wind  went  with  them. 

Wainom  Yola  cut  right  through  the  southern 
army,  and,  turning,  rushed  toward  Norhara  Chepmis 
and  his  warriors.  These  two  with  their  armies  fought 
hardest  of  all  on  that  day.  In  half  an  hour  very 
few  were  left  alive  on  either  side,  and  those  left 
were  so  weak  that  Norhara  Chepmis  and  Wainom 
Yola  were  hardly  able  to  lead  them  from  the  field. 

There  was  not  a  man  in  the  forces  of  the  Tede 
Wiu  brothers  or  Norbis  who  was  not  covered  with 
snow  and  drenched  with  rain  ;  all  were  shivering  and 
nearly  dead. 

No  one  wished  to  fight  for  a  long  time  after  that 
day. 

Norbis  went  home  to  the  southeast  without  Nor 
wan,  the  woman  he  called  his  wife;  and  when  the 
Tede  Wiu  brothers  went  back  to  their  house  in 


94      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

the  evening,  they  found  that  Norwan  had  escaped 
to  Norwan  Bull. 

This  was  the  end  of  the  first  battle  on  earth. 
None  gained  anything,  and  many  were  killed. 
Later  there  was  another  battle  among  the  first 
people,  and  afterward  many  among  the  Wintus 
when  they  came  up. 

After  Norwan  had  been  at  home  awhile  she  said 
one  day  to  Hessiha, — 

"  My  brother,  I  did  wrong.  When  I  think  of 
it  now,  I  see  that  I  did  wrong.  I  understand  all  to 
day.  I  see  that  if  I  had  not  danced  with  Tede 
Wiu,  if  I  had  not  gone  home  with  him,  there 
would  have  been  no  fighting,  no  trouble  in  this 
world.  If  I  had  gone  with  Norbis  at  the  dance, 
there  would  have  been  no  battles,  there  would 
have  been  no  killing ;  but  I  did  not  want  to  go 
with  Norbis.  I  do  not  know  why ;  but  in  some 
way  I  did  not  like  him.  I  was  dancing  with  Tede 
Wiu,  and  sitting  with  him,  and  going  away  with 
him  before  I  knew  what  I  was  doing." 

Sehinom  Chabatu,  after  the  close  of  the  first 
great  battle,  went  home  and  lived  on  Wini  Mem 
five  years  before  any  trouble  came  to  him.  While 
helping  Tede  Wiu  in  his  fight  with  Norbis,  Sehi 
nom  killed  Saias  Saias  and  Chuchu,  two  of  the  best 
men  among  Norbis's  forces. 

All  the  southern  people  talked  of  these  two,  and 
told  how  they  had  died.  A  great  man,  far  off"  in 
the  southeast,  heard  of  this.  He  was  chief  of  the 
two  when  they  were  living,  and  his  name  was 
Chulup  Win  Herit.  He  was  a  slender,  strong 


Norwan  95 


person.  When  he  had  heard  the  whole  story,  he 
said,  — 

"  I  have  never  liked  fighting,  I  do  not  like  fight 
ing  now.  I  have  never  gone  to  war,  but  I  am  going 
to  war  now.  Norbis  attacked  Tede  Wiu,  he  fought 
with  him.  Norbis  has  shown  me  what  fighting  is, 
and  I  am  going  to  fight  now." 

Chulup  inquired  everywhere  to  discover  who 
had  killed  these  two  men ;  he  wished  to  be  sure. 
All  people  said  everywhere,  "  Sehinom  Chabatu 
did  it." 

It  was  really  Chir  Chuma  who  had  killed  them. 
But  Chir  Chuma  was  under  Sehinom  Chabatu,  and 
the  blame  was  put  on  Sehinom. 

They  talked  it  all  over,  talked  a  whole  night,  and 
Chulup  sent  this  message  to  Sehinom, — 

"  I  should  like  to  see  you,  I  want  you  to  come 
to  Miol  Tapa,  near  Puidal  Pom.  I  will  meet  you 
there.  If  you  want  to  fight,  I  will  fight  with  you 
at  that  place." 

The  messenger  was  Tsotso  Tokos  Herit.  While 
Chulup  was  instructing  his  messenger,  Sehinom's 
grandmother  was  talking  to  him.  This  grand 
mother  was  a  very  old  woman,  Chir  Pokaila ;  she 
was  called  also  Kahi  Buli  Pokaila.  She  knew  what 
was  happening  far  away  in  the  east,  and  what  was 
going  to  happen  soon,  though  nobody  had  told  her : 
she  knew  with  her  own  mind. 

"  My  grandson,"  said  she,  "  you  have  been  fight 
ing,  you  have  been  at  war,  and  people  will  talk  much 
of  you.  My  grandson,  you  will  hear  something 
very  soon.  You  must  do  what  is  best,  take  care  of 


96      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

yourself.  I  will  tell  you  what  to  do  :  when  you  go 
hunting  or  fishing,  never  go  toward  the  east.  Go 
north,  west,  and  south,  but  never  go  east ;  the  people 
in  the  east  are  talking  of  you.  My  grandson,  I  did 
not  know  that  you  were  going  to  do  the  things  that 
you  have  done.  When  I  was  rearing  you  and  you 
were  a  baby  yet,  I  told  you  how  to  hunt  and  fish  ; 
no  more.  I  did  not  think  that  you  would  fight  and 
strike  down  strong  people.  But  there  is  a  woman 
at  Norwan  Buli  who  brought  all  this  trouble  into 
the  world ;  this  fighting  began  for  her,  and  now  it 
will  continue  always  and  everywhere ;  there  will 
never  be  an  end  to  fighting  in  this  world  now. 
This  place  where  we  are  living  would  have  been 
good  but  for  that  woman.  Now,  from  this  time  on, 
all  these  trees,  mountains,  rocks,  all  people  in  this 
world,  will  be  bad  and  will  hurt  others.  (This 
means  that  people  will  use  stones,  sticks,  and  every 
thing  to  fight  with  when  they  are  angry.) 

"  Now,  my  grandson,  you  must  do  as  I  tell  you. 
My  brother  lives  near  by,  he  lives  at  Kahi  Buli, 
his  name  is  Kahit.  Go  and  see  him  every  morn 
ing  early.  And  there  is  a  man  who  lives  a  little 
farther  away,  up  at  Waitami.  He  is  your  brother. 
Go  and  see  him  every  evening.  He  is  a  great 
man,  he  can  do  everything.  His  name  is  Katsi 
Herit.  My  two  sisters  live  at  Waiti  Nomken. 
They  have  been  in  the  war  and  have  seen  all  the 
fighting.  They  are  the  Kawas  Loimis  sisters. 

"  My  grandson,  we  cannot  live  as  we  used  to 
live.  We  must  live  differently.  I  am  getting  very 
angry.  We  cannot  eat,  we  cannot  sleep  as  in  the 


Norwan 


97 


old  time.  When  you  went  to  war  you  killed  two 
great  men,  two  of  the  best  men.  Long,  long  ago 
Chulup,  a  great  chief,  went  far  away  east,  and  has 
lived  there  since  that  time.  He  is  going  to  come 
soon  to  see  you.  Take  care  of  yourself;  be  on 
your  guard.  When  he  started  east  Chulup  went 
to  the  edge  of  the  great  water  and  went  under  the 
ground  to  it,  he  went  through  the  ground,  and  he 
lives  in  the  east  now  on  the  bed  of  the  great  water. 

"  I  will  tell  you  what  is  going  to  happen  soon. 
I  am  getting  angry,  and  when  I  am  angry  you  will 
feel  a  cold  wind  coming  from  the  north.  That 
wind  comes  because  I  am  angry." 

When  Sehinom  Chabatu  went  south,  he  was 
young  yet,  not  grown ;  and  now,  when  his  grand 
mother  knew  what  was  happening  in  the  east,  she 
was  instructing  him.  The  place  where  they  lived 
was  Dau  Paki  Olel,  a  mile  higher  up  than  the 
mouth  of  Wini  Mem. 

One  morning  Sehinom  Chabatu  called  all  his 
people  together.  The  old  woman  knew  that  some 
one  was  coming,  and  that  day  Tsotso  Tokos  came. 
He  was  sent  by  Chulup.  When  the  old  woman 
knew  that  he  was  near,  she  went  into  the  house, 
brought  out  a  quiver  full  of  arrows,  and  hung  it  on 
a  tree.  Then  she  got  a  tuichu  kilis,  which  is  a  net 
faced  with  white  down,  put  it  on  her  head,  took  the 
quiver,  and  ran  some  distance  from  the  house,  and 
rushed  about  in  great  fury.  She  acted  like  some 
one  who  is  going  to  fight.  People  watched  her. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  that  old  woman?" 
asked  one  person  of  another. 

7 


98      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

After  a  time  she  came  back  and  sat  down.  A 
few  minutes  later  a  man  was  seen  running  in  from 
the  east,  and  soon  Tsotso  Tokos  was  at  the  house. 

"  Sehinom  Chabatu,"  said  he,  "  I  am  here  to  tell 
you  what  Chulup  says.  He  says  that  he  is  grow 
ing  angry ;  that  he  wants  you  to  go  to  Miol  Tapa 
to-morrow;  that  he  will  meet  you  there ;  that  he  has 
his  men  with  him.  He  has  gathered  many  people. 
He  will  wait  for  you  at  Miol  Tapa." 

When  Tsotso  Tokos  had  said  these  words,  he 
went  away.  The  old  woman  rose  and  said,  — 

"  My  grandson,  do  not  sit  long.  Rise  up. 
That  of  which  I  told  you,  a  while  ago  has  happened. 
I  told  you  that  trouble  was  coming.  Send  word 
now  to  the  two  Tede  Wiu  brothers.  Send  word  to 
all  your  friends.  Tell  them  to  come  quickly  to 
help  you." 

Sehinom  Chabatu  sent  a  message  to  the  Tede 
Wiu  brothers,  and  a  second  one  to  the  northwest, 
a  third  to  the  north,  and  a  fourth  to  the  southwest. 
In  the  north  he  sent  to  Sau  Herit  and  to  Kichuna 
Herit,  to  Hokohas  Herit  of  Puidal  Pom.  Hoko- 
has's  people  wore  elkskin  armor  at  all  times ;  to 
Koyumas  Herit,  and  to  Puike  Tsumu,  a  great  chief, 
though  lame.  He  sent  to  all  who  had  been  with 
the  Tede  Wiu  brothers  in  the  first  war. 

All  came,  and  still  others  joined  them.  Among 
these  was  Cho  Herit,  who  had  a  great  many 
people.  Sehinom's  grandmother  was  terribly  ex 
cited.  She  danced  madly  and  ran  around  every 
where;  she  danced  that  night  and  the  next  day. 
The  second  morning  all  came  very  early  to  join 


Norwan 


Sehinom's  forces.  The  first  came  at  daybreak,  and 
one  people  followed  another  the  whole  day  and  the 
next  night. 

Chir  Chuma,  carried  by  two  Siriwit  brothers, 
came.  Wai  Karili,  who  lived  on  the  south  bank 
of  Wini  Mem,  came.  All  his  people  had  nets. 
Bulibok  came  from  Bulibok  Puyuk,  and  when  the 
people  on  the  road  sat  down  to  rest,  he  went  ahead 
and  called  out, — 

"  Shoot  at  me,  all  you  people  !  I  want  to  see 
what  kind  of  person  I  am  going  to  be." 

All  shot  at  him.  He  sat  still,  but  no  one  could 
hit  him.  And  Kaisus  Herit  from  Puidal  Pom 
went  ahead  too,  and  asked  all  to  shoot  at  him.  A 
great  many  tried,  but  no  one  could  hit  Kaisus 
Herit. 

Tichelis  from  Penehl  Kente  came,  bringing  his 
people. 

"  You  are  my  brother,"  said  he  to  Kaisus ;  "  we 
will  go  together." 

One  Sedit  came  from  Buli  Puiwakat,  and  another 
from  Sonomyai. 

When  all  the  people  had  assembled  at  Sehinom's, 
Wik  Herit  picked  up  dead  coals  and  blackened  his 
face.  "  I  want  to  see  fighting,"  said  he.  "  I  am  a 
brave  warrior.  I  want  to  fight ; "  then  he  puffed 
and  strutted  tremendously. 

Nomel  Hiwili,  who  lived  at  Waiel  Nomeltos, 
came,  bringing  his  people. 

"  My  brother,"  said  he  to  Sehinom,  "  I  am  not 
very  strong,  I  cannot  do  much,  but  I  will  go  with 
you  and  do  what  I  can." 


I  oo      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

When  they  went  to  the  place  where  the  battle 
was  to  be  fought,  a  messenger  came  and  said, — 

"  Saiai  Not  Herit  is  coming  to  see  you.  He 
has  no  heart,  and  all  his  people  are  without  hearts. 
Saiai  Not  wants  to  fight  with  you.  Kichuna  from 
Kinwinis  Pom  and  Hamam  Herit  from  the  east 
wish  to  fight  with  you.  All  these  people  are  at 
Memnom  Kalai  now,  not  far  from  here." 

At  this  time  they  saw  some  one  coming  toward 
them  from  the  east.  This  was  a  second  Chir 
Pokaila.  She  was  from  Pokaitin  Mem.  When 
she  came  up  she  said  to  Sehinom's  grandmother,  — 

"  My  sister,  we  will  help  our  grandson,  and  if  he 
is  killed  we  will  mourn  over  him  together." 

"  It  is  time  to  move  now,"  said  Sehinom. 

"We  will  be  in  the  centre  of  the  army,"  said 
the  Tede  Wiu  brothers,  and  they  took  their 
places.  Wai  Karili  went  to  the  south  wing  of  the 
northern  army,  and  all  his  people  with  him.  They 
went  up  on  a  level  mound,  and  from  there  saw 
people  coming  on  both  sides,  from  the  north 
and  the  south,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see.  They 
came  on  like  a  great  water,  rolling  forward.  The 
people  were  in  number  as  the  grains  in  two  clouds 
of  sand.  The  two  armies  approached  each  other 
gradually. 

Sehinom's  grandmother,  with  her  sister,  was 
in  front  of  the  northern  forces.  She  engaged  the 
enemy  first,  and  fought  fiercely.  She  had  arrows 
of  kopus  wood,  pointed  with  Chirdokos,  all  made 
by  herself.  The  northern  army  faced  the  east, 
and  the  southern  the  west. 


Norwan 


Chir  Chuma,  carried  by  the  Siriwits,  came  to  help 
his  two  sisters.  All  three  had  the  same  kind  of 
arrows.  They  killed  fifty  and  sixty  at  a  shot,  and 
these  three  gave  victory  to  the  left  wing  of  the 
northern  army. 

On  the  right  flank  of  the  northern  and  left  flank 
of  the  southern  army  were  good  men,  and  there 
was  hard  fighting.  On  the  northern  side  was  Wai 
Karili  with  his  people,  having  nets  to  catch  the 
enemy.  Then  Hokohas  and  his  forces,  all  dressed 
in  elkskin  armor ;  next  Kaisus  and  Tichelis,  with 
many  people.  Between  Tichelis  and  the  centre 
was  Kichuna.  On  the  other  side,  opposite  Kichuna, 
was  Hamam,  who  had  sent  word  to  Kichuna  that 
he  would  meet  him  on  the  field.  Opposite  Sedit 
of  Sonomyai  was  an  unknown  chief,  but  a  very  great 
fighter. 

Wai  Karili,  Hokohas,  Kaisus,  and  Tichelis  with 
their  forces  were  met  by  Hawt  and  Tsuini,  whose 
people  outnumbered  those  of  the  four  chiefs  op 
posed  to  them.  The  Hawts  used  solid  blue  rocks 
as  weapons.  They  hurled  them  with  great  force, 
breaking  the  armor  of  Hokohas's  people  and  tear 
ing  the  nets  of  Karili's  men.  The  Tsuini  people 
threw  smaller  stones  from  slings  in  great  showers  at 
the  people  of  Tichelis  and  Kaisus. 

The  battle  raged  with  fury  on  that  flank  till 
evening.  Many  were  killed  on  both  sides,  and  of 
the  chiefs  Hamam  and  Sedit  of  Sonomyai  fell. 
Neither  side  had  the  victory  when  night  came, 
though  Hawt  and  Tsuini  were  gaining  a  little. 

In  the  centre  were  the  great  chiefs  of  both  armies. 


i£  ;  Creation  Mytfis  of  Primitive  America 


There  Chulup,  supported  by  Saiai  Not,  Tenek  Not, 
and  Tubuk,  met  Sehinom  Chabatu  and  the  Tede 
Wiu  brothers. 

In  the  morning  Chulup  began  the  fighting,  and 
cut  into  the  centre.  In  the  middle  of  the  forenoon 
he  had  gone  half-way  through  Sehinom's  people. 
But  Sehinom  forced  him  back,  and  at  midday 
Chulup  was  where  he  had  begun  in  the  morning. 
Sehinom  advanced  now,  and  tried  to  cut  through 
Chulup's  people.  He  had  gone  more  than  half 
way  when  Chulup  rallied,  pressed  around  him, 
pushed  him  back,  and  at  sundown  had  rushed  for 
ward  among  Sehinom's  warriors. 

Just  at  that  time  Sehinom  saw  in  the  field  behind 
Chulup  a  tall  and  very  beautiful  woman.  She  was 
Chulup's  wife.  Her  name  was  Sanihas.  Sehinom 
Chabatu  ran  quickly  to  this  woman,  and  led  her  to 
his  own  camp,  while  Chulup  was  struggling  with 
the  Tede  Wiu  brothers.  The  sun  was  down  now. 
Night  had  come. 

Chulup  dropped  back  to  his  own  place.  He 
had  lost  his  wife  and  gained  nothing.  Both  sides 
went  from  the  battlefield  and  made  camp-fires. 
You  could  see  the  two  lines  of  fire  running  north 
and  south,  but  could  not  see  either  end  of  them. 

Chulup  rose  at  daybreak  next  morning,  rushed  to 
Sehinom's  camp,  and  after  a  sharp  and  short  fight 
took  his  wife  back  before  sunrise.  Both  sides  were 
very  angry  and  fought  hard.  At  midday  the  south 
ern  forces  had  the  advantage  in  the  centre  and  the 
southern  flank,  and  would  have  beaten  Sehinom 
Chabatu  but  for  his  grandmother,  his  uncle,  and  his 


Norwan 


aunt.  The  two  women  and  Chir  Chum  a,  carried 
on  two  sticks  by  the  Siriwit  brothers,  had  beaten 
everything  in  front  of  them. 

At  this  time  the  centre  and  flank  of  the  northern 
forces  had  suffered  much.  -  Wai  Karili  left  the  fight ; 
he  was  angry. 

"  I  will  do  something  better  than  this,"  said  he. 

Taking  his  net,  he  went  off  to  the  southeast,  and 
never  stopped  till  he  was  at  the  edge  of  the  earth, 
and  had  found  the  opening  through  which  Chulup 
passed  when  he  came  out  on  land  or  went  back  to 
his  home  on  the  bed  of  the  great  eastern  water. 
He  laid  the  net  across  the  hole,  thrust  the  middle 
of  it  in  deeply,  covered  what  was  left  outside,  and 
waited  in  hiding. 

At  noon,  when  Sehinom  Chabatu  was  hard  pressed 
and  the  enemy  were  pushing  his  people  from  the 
field,  his  grandmother,  aunt,  and  uncle,  with  the 
whole  army  behind  them,  fell  upon  the  rear  of 
Chulup's  forces.  The  struggle  began  anew,  and 
from  then  till  sunset  was  fought  the  hardest  battle 
of  the  world  up  to  that  day.  At  sunset  they  had 
to  stop,  for  there  were  few  people  left  on  either 
side,  and  those  were  so  tired  that  they  could  fight 
no  longer. 

Each  side  left  the  field  without  saying  a  word  to 
the  other. 

Chulup  sent  his  wife  Sanihas  home  by  another 
way,  and  went  himself  to  the  passage  where  Wai 
Karili  was  hiding.  He  went  into  the  opening. 
Karili  drew  the  net,  closed  it  around  Chulup,  and 
tied  it  firmly.  He  put  it  on  his  back  then,  and 


.i  t>4  \  'Cjf nation -Myths  of  Primitive  America 

carried  Chulup  to  Tehi  Bull,  some  distance  east  of 
Bohem  Puyuk.  There  he  taunted  h-im,  saying  : 

"  Now,  Chulup,  you  did  not  take  me,  but  I  have 
taken  you.  You  are  not  going  to  kill  me,  but  I 
am  going  to  kill  you.  Who  is  better,  you  or  I  ?  " 
Then  he  killed  him,  and  pounded  his  body  fine. 

When  Sehinom  Chabatu  went  home  his  grand 
mother  said  to  him,  — 

"  Now,  my  grandson,  you  are  becoming  a  strong 
man ;  you  know  how  to  fight,  but  men  who  fight  do 
not  live  long.  I  have  never  told  you  to  fight,  but 
from  this  on  you  will  see  fighting.  You  must  keep 
awake,  my  grandson.  You  must  rise  early,  you 
must  not  sleep  long  ;  some  day  you  will  hear  news, 
some  day  something  will  happen." 

After  that  Sehinom  Chabatu  brought  the  tallest 
yellow  pine  from  beyond  Dau  Paki  Olel,  stripped 
all  the  bark  off,  painted  it  white,  black,  and  red. 
The  people  danced  around  this  pole,  danced  two 
days. 

"  We  will  go  home  now,"  said  the  Tede  Wiu 
brothers,  "  but  perhaps  something  will  happen  later 
on." 

Then  Dokos  said  to  Wik  Kiemila  :  "  We  have 
had  all  this  fighting,  we  may  have  more  fighting 
yet ;  people  may  come  to  attack  us,  to  kill  you  or 
me." 

"My  father-in-law,"  said  Wai  Dokos  to  Wik 
Kiemila,  "we  have  killed  a  great  man,  Chulup 
Win  Herit.  I  think  now  that  we  shall  have  much 
trouble ;  he  was  the  chief  of  many  people ;  they 
will  attack  us." 


Norwan 


After  this  talk  all  went  home.  People  lived  in 
peace  for  two  years. 

"  I  will  go  and  sleep  in  the  sweat-house,"  said 
Sehinom  Chabatu  one  night.  He  went.  There 
were  many  in  the  sweat-house,  and  a  greater  number 
outside.  Usually  Chir  Pokaila  knew  everything ; 
but  this  night  the  old  woman  did  not  know  that 
trouble  was  coming,  she  was  in  her  own  house 
asleep. 

The  door  of  Sehinom's  sweat-house  was  on  the 
east,  and  he  was  sleeping  on  the  north  side.  Just 
before  daylight  some  of  the  men  lying  outside  woke 
up,  and  some  in  the  sweat-house  were  awake,  but 
none  had  risen  yet.  All  at  once  they  heard  an 
uproar,  a  crowd  of  men  shouting. 

When  the  people  around  the  sweat-house  heard 
this  shouting,  they  took  their  arms  and  ran  forward. 
All  inside  the  sweat-house  rushed  to  the  door,  and 
as  soon  as  they  were  out  strange  people  killed 
them. 

Sehinom  Chabatu  remained  in  the  sweat-house. 
Chir  Pokaila  was  taking  bow  and  arrows  to  her 
grandson,  but  when  she  reached  the  door  she  was 
killed. 

Chir  Chuma,  who  lived  near  by,  came  when  he 
heard  the  uproar.  He  was  carried  by  the  Siriwits, 
and  went  around  fighting  here  and  fighting  there, 
killing  many. 

Sehinom,  in  the  sweat-house,  heard  some  one  out 
side  asking,  — 

"Is  this  Sehinom  Chabatu's  house?  I  cannot 
find  him.  He  is  not  among  these  people.  Perhaps 


1 06     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

this  is  not  his  house  at  all.  I  should  like  to  see 
Sehinom  Chabatu.  If  he  is  brave,  he  will  come 
out.  I  am  Sutunut." 

Others  cried,  "  I  am  Hus  !  "  "I  am  Chutuhl !  " 
"  I  am  Koip  ! "  "I  want  to  see  Sehinom  Chabatu  !  " 

All  the  people  outside  were  killed  now,  except 
Chir  Chuma.  The  Siriwits  had  carried  him  home. 
Sehinom  Chabatu  was  left  in  the  sweat-house. 
It  was  about  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  when 
all  were  killed,  and  the  strangers  set  fire  to  the 
sweat-house.  There  was  a  log  at  each  side  of 
the  door  for  people  to  sit  on.  Sehinom  went  into 
the  ground,  and  came  out  under  the  log  on  the 
left  side.  He  dug  forward,  as  the  fire  moved,  till 
he  came  near  the  end  of  the  log.  It  was  burned 
out  now  except  a  very  short  piece.  He  stopped 
under  that. 

Sutunut' s  people  stood  around  watching  for  him. 

"  We  should  like  to  know  where  he  is,"  said  they. 
"  The  sweat-house  is  burned.  He  was  not  there  or 
he  would  have  run  out."  They  pushed  the  cinders 
about,  —  found  no  trace  of  his  bones.  "He  cannot 
be  under  this  log,"  said  one  man  ;  but  he  did  not 
touch  the  burning  log. 

At  last,  about  dark,  when  the  log  was  burned 
almost  to  the  very  end,  Sutunut  and  all  his  people 
went  away. 

Sehinom  Chabatu  heard  everything  they  said. 
When  they  had  gone  and  all  was  silent,  he  crept 
out  from  under  the  ground ;  he  saw  his  friends 
lying  dead,  the  houses  destroyed,  and  the  sweat-house 
burned  down.  He  cried  all  night,  —  mourned  for 


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107 


his  friends,  mourned  until  daylight.  At  daylight 
he  walked  around  everywhere  ;  looked  at  the  ruins  ; 
did  not  know  what  to  do ;  walked  around  again  and 
again. 

Just  before  sunrise  he  heard  something  and 
stopped  to  listen.  There  was  a  sound  like  the  cry 
of  a  little  dog.  He  looked,  and  saw  at  last  a  piece 
of  bark  of  the  yellow  pine.  The  noise  came  from 
under  that  bark. 

"What  can  be  under  this  bark?"  thought  Sehi 
nom,  and  turning  it  over  he  found  two  little  boys 
lying  in  each  other's  arms  and  crying.  He  stooped 
down  and  took  them  up. 

"  Now,  brother,"  said  one  of  them,  "we  had  luck. 
We  hid  here  and  escaped." 

They  were  Tsudi  boys.  Sehinom  Chabatu  took 
the  boys  to  care  for  them.  He  buried  all  the 
people  he  could  find,  took  the  two  little  boys,  and 
went  up  Pui  Mem  to  get  kopus  wood  for  arrows. 
He  found  the  wood,  brought  it  home,  and  made 
four  hundred  arrows.  Then  he  made  five  bows  of 
yew  wood. 

The  two  boys  grew  very  fast.  Sehinom  gave  a 
bow  and  forty  arrows  to  each  of  them  and  said,  — 

"  I  wish  you  could  do  something  for  me,  but  you 
are  so  small  I  don't  like  to  send  you." 

"We  can  go  wherever  you  send  us,"  said  the 
elder  boy. 

"  Well,  my  little  brother,"  said  Sehinom  next 
morning,  "  go  and  tell  my  two  sisters,  Kawas  Loimis 
in  Waiti  Nomken  to  come  here.  Tell  them  that  I 
am  hungry,  that  I  have  nothing  to  eat.  Say  that 


io8     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

I  am  starving.  Tell  them  to  bring  food  to  me. 
From  my  sisters  go  to  my  brother  Kichuna  ;  he  lives 
at  Kenwinis  Pom.  Go  next  to  Wai  Hau,  at  Hau 
Buli,  then  to  Nomel  Hiwili  at  Waiel  Nomeltos. 
Go  to  Dokos  Hilit ;  you  will  find  his  house  by 
inquiring ;  from  there  to  my  father-in-law,  Nom 
Sowiwi.  Tell  these  people  to  come  to  me  and 
bring  all  their  forces." 

Then,  turning  to  the  other  brother,  he  said :  "  I 
will  send  you,  my  little  brother,  down  south.  I  want 
you  to  go  to  Tidok  Kiemila  at  Tidok  Waisono. 
This  old  man  and  his  people  have  plenty  of  feather 
dresses  for  war.  Go  to  the  Tede  Wiu  brothers ; 
go  to  Hokohas  Herit.  Go  eastward  to  Dokos 
Herit,  at  Dokos  Hle'i  Puriton;  go  to  Kaisus  at 
Kaisansi  Haraston,  tell  all  to  come  to-morrow  and 
bring  their  people." 

The  elder  Tsudi  brother  came  back  in  the  evening. 
"Your  sisters  will  come  to-morrow  morning,"  said 
he,  "and  the  others  will  all  come." 

The  younger  brother  came  back  a  little  later. 
"  All  the  people  will  come  to-morrow  morning," 
said  he :  "  all  the  Hokohas  people  with  their  elk- 
skins,  all  the  Tidok  people  will  come  with  their 
feather  headdresses.  When  I  went  to  the  Tede 
Wiu  brothers,  they  said :  <  Sehinom  Chabatu  has 
great  trouble/  I  said :  c  He  has,  indeed ;  my 
brother  and  I  are  all  that  are  left/  c  He  is  our 
brother,'  said  they ;  c  we  must  help  him/  ' 

Next  morning  the  two  Kawas  sisters  came, 
bringing  many  things.  Each  brought  two  elkskins 
and  a  great  many  arrows  and  otter-skins. 


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109 


"  Now,  brother,  eat  and  feed  the  two  little  boys," 
said  they,  taking  out  food. 

People  began  to  come.  They  came  from  every 
direction,  from  all  sides.  All  that  day  they 
poured  in;  in  the  evening  and  night  they  kept 
coming.  Sehinom  Chabatu  had  to  wait  some  days 
for  all  to  come.  The  Kawas  sisters  had  food  for 
every  one. 

"We  heard  that  you  were  killed,"  said  the  Tede 
Wiu  brothers  when  they  came.  "  We  are  glad  to 
see  you  living." 

"  I  am  alone,"  said  Sehinom.  "  I  do  not  know 
what  saved  me.  All  my  people  were  killed  except 
these  two  little  boys." 

The  Tede  Wiu  brothers  were  the  first  to  come 
from  the  south.  Next  came  the  Tidok  people. 
They  came  in  crowds,  in  thousands,  and  every  one 
had  a  feather  net  on  his  head.  They  began  to  come 
in  the  morning,  and  kept  coming  all  day,  all  night, 
on  the  morrow,  and  second  night,  without  stopping. 
They  came  without  stopping  for  twelve  days  and 
nights,  they  came  till  there  was  no  room  for  them 
anywhere  around.  More  Tidoks  remained  at  home 
than  came,  and  more  Tidoks  came  than  all  other 
people  put  together. 

"  You  people,"  said  Sehinom  Chabatu,  when  all 
had  come,  "  I  did  not  cause  this  war  and  fighting. 
I  did  not  begin.  The  war  was  made  by  the  Tede 
Wiu  brothers  and  Norbis." 

"  Now,  my  brothers,"  said  Sehinom  Chabatu  to 
the  Tede  Wiu  brothers,  "  people  far  off  talk  of  me  ; 
but  you  caused  the  trouble.  You  began  it,  and 


1 1  o     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

you  must  do  your  best  to  help  me.  We  must 
leave  here  to-morrow  morning." 

They  started  next  morning  early.  Sehinom 
Chabatu  gave  orders  to  travel  in  parties.  They 
moved  toward  the  southeast.  The  last  party  of 
the  first  day  left  in  the  evening.  When  night 
came  the  van  of  the  army  camped  and  the  rear 
marched  all  night. 

When  Sutunut's  forces  came  northward  from  the 
edge  of  the  sky  in  the  south  to  attack  Sehinom's 
people,  they  made  a  trail  coming  and  going. 
Now,  Sehinom's  army  followed  this  trail.  They 
travelled  the  second  day  till  they  reached  a  camp 
ing-place  of  the  returning  southern  army.  There 
they  spent  the  night.  At  noon  of  the  third  day 
they  sent  Kaisus  and  Bulibok  ahead  to  look  for 
the  enemy.  They  went  to  the  south.  On  the 
following  morning  they  came  back  and  said, — 

"  We  found  a  canon  where  they  camped ;  you 
can  camp  there." 

The  army  moved  on.  The  two  Kawas  sisters 
had  food  to  give  the  whole  army ;  the  two  baskets 
were  never  empty,  and  all  had  enough. 

They  stayed  three  days  in  the  canon,  and  the 
Tidok  people  never  stopped  coming. 

"  We  have  far  to  go ;  you  must  hurry,"  said 
Sehinom  next  day ;  and  the  Tidok  forces  began 
to  travel  faster.  Sehinom  sent  forward  Hus  as  a 
scout.  Before  daybreak  all  rose  and  travelled  till 
evening.  Hus  came  back  and  said,  — 

"  I  have  been  very  far  down.  I  found  another 
place  where  they  camped.  I  went  farther  south 


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1 1 1 


then,  till  I  saw  fire  and  smoke  far  away.  We  can 
rest  to-night  in  their  camping-place." 

"  Sleep  well,  all  you  people,"  said  Sehinom 
Chabatu  that  night ;  "  you  must  be  fresh  to-mor 
row  morning." 

Next  morning  Hus  was  sent  forward  again,  and 
the  army  started  soon  after.  They  travelled  all 
day.  At  sunset  Hus  came  back  and  said,  — 

"  I  found  the  next  camping-place ;  it  is  not  far 
from  here.  Then  I  went  south  a  great  way  till  I 
came  to  a  hill  which  runs  east  and  west.  I  went  to 
the  top  of  that  hill  and  looked  down.  On  a  broad 
flat  I  saw  fires  and  a  great  many  people.  Their 
camp  is  very  wide  from  east  to  west,  and  runs  south 
as  far  as  my  eyes  could  see.  Now,  our  friends,  I 
have  seen  the  enemy ;  we  must  do  the  best  we  can." 

When  they  reached  the  camping-place  Sehinom 
said :  "  We  will  rest  here  to-morrow,  not  travel 
till  the  next  day." 

On  the  second  morning  they  rose  and  started 
early,  went  slowly,  resting  occasionally.  About 
sunset  they  came  to  the  hill  and  camped  on  the 
north  side  of  it. 

"  I  went  to  send  some  one  to  see  how  many 
people  there  are  in  that  camp,"  said  Sehinom 
Chabatu. 

Bulibok  went.  On  the  end  of  the  ridge  was  a 
tree  with  one  limb  sticking  out  toward  the  east. 
Bulibok  went  on  that  tree,  sat  on  the  limb,  and 
looked  down.  He  saw  the  people  moving  around, 
playing,  and  dancing.  He  could  see  a  long  dis 
tance.  Pretty  soon  people  below,  who*  were  look- 


112     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

ing  around  everywhere,  saw  Bulibok,  and  one  of 
them  asked, — 

"  What  is  that  sitting  on  the  limb  up  there  ? " 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  another.  "  It  looks 
like  some  person.  Let  us  throw  at  it  and  see  if  it 
will  move." 

Notudui  Ulumus,  who  always  wore  a  sling  around 
his  head,  took  it  off,  put  a  stone  in  it,  and  said,  — 

"  There  must  be  some  one  there.  I  have  never 
seen  that  thing  on  a  limb  before." 

"  Oh,  that  is  nothing ;  that  is  always  there," 
said  others. 

"  I  have  never  seen  anything  there  before.  I 
will  sling  a  stone  at  it."  Notudui  hurled  a 
stone,  which  just  passed  Bulibok's  head ;  he 
did  n't  move.  Notudui  hurled  another  stone,  al 
most  grazed  Bulibok's  nose,  but  he  never  moved. 

"  Oh,  that  is  a  part  of  the  limb,"  said  some  of 
the  people  :  "  it  sticks  up  in  that  way." 

"  A  man  would  move  if  a  stone  came  so  near 
him,"  said  others. 

"  That  is  somebody ;  that  is  somebody  watching 
us,"  cried  a  third  party ;  and  they  disputed.  The 
people  watched  for  a  while,  but  Bulibok  sat  there 
as  motionless  as  the  limb  till,  tired  of  watching, 
they  went  away,  and  forgot  all  about  him.  He 
slipped  down  from  the  tree  then,  went  home,  and 
said,  — 

"  I  sat  on  a  tree,  saw  everything,  and  know  now 
the  best  way  to  go.  People  saw  me  and  hurled 
stones.  They  came  near  hitting  me  twice,  but  I 
did  not  stir,  and  they  let  me  go." 


Norwan  1 1 3 


"  Now,  my  people,"  said  Sehinom  Chabatu, 
"  this  war  was  not  made  by  me.  I  hate  to  take 
you  to  a  place  like  that  which  is  before  us,  but  we 
must  go  there.  I  will  go  first ;  I  will  go  alone  and 
look  at  the  place."  He  mounted  the  ridge,  and 
from  the  top  of  it  went  underground  till  he  came 
out  in  the  chief  house  of  the  enemy.  Then, 
thrusting  his  head  up,  he  looked  and  saw  a  great 
many  people.  Soon  someone  saw  him  and  said, — 

"Why  do  you  people  not  watch?  Sehinom 
Chabatu  may  come.  You  say  that  he  is  dead 
—  that  you  burned  him  to  death  in  the  sweat- 
house  ;  but  I  don't  believe  that  you  killed  him." 

"Oh,  he  is  dead  long  ago.  We  killed  him  ;  we 
burned  him  ! " 

Sehinom  stuck  out  his  head  a  second  time. 
Again  some  one  saw  him  and  asked,  — 

"  What  is  that  over  there  ?  Maybe  it  is  Sehinom 
Chabatu.  I  think  he  might  come." 

"  Oh,  he  is  dead  long  ago.  Let 's  throw  at  that 
and  see  what  it  is." 

Some  one  hurled  a  stone.  It  grazed  Sehinom's 
nose  and  he  dropped  into  the  ground.  cc  That 
is  only  a  squirrel ! "  said  a  number  of  people, 
"  Sehinom  Chabatu  is  dead." 

Sehinom  went  back  to  his  army,  and  said  to  Nom 
Sowiwi,  — 

"  I  saw  a  great  many  people.  They  are  the  same 
who  killed  our  friends.  They  will  kill  us  unless 
we  kill  them.  We  will  move  to-morrow  at  day 
break  and  fight.  My  brother,  Tede  Wiu,  you 

must  find  Sutunut.     When  he  came  to  my  place 

8 


1 1 4     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

he  boasted  greatly.  He  said  that  I  could  fight 
nobody.  I  want  to  see  Sutunut.  We  must  find 
him.  Never  mind  others.  Let  us  find  Sutunut 
and  Koip  Herit,  who  boasted  that  they  had  killed 
so  many  of  our  people." 

"  I  will  go  and  look  at  that  camp  before  dark," 
said  Hau  Herit. 

He  went,  and  just  below  the  hilltop  he  found  a 
piece  of  a  hollow  oak-tree  as  long  as  the  height  of 
a  man  ;  he  walked  slowly  in  this  dry  trunk,  his 
head  just  sticking  above  it,  and  of  the  same  color. 
He  reached  the  top  of  the  ridge  and  went  down 
the  south  side  a  short  distance;  there  were  no 
trees  or  brush  there.  As  he  stood  looking  around, 
his  eyes  above  the  stump,  some  people  called  out 
below,  — 

"  What  is  that  on  the  hill  ?  I  have  never  seen 
that  thing  there  before." 

"  I  see  nothing  but  a  stump,"  answered  others. 

Hau  was  looking  around  everywhere,  taking 
notice  of  everything. 

"  There  is  some  one  there,"  said  another  man. 

"  Oh,  that 's  a  stump.  I  Ve  seen  that  there  all 
the  time." 

"  Well,  let 's  sling  a  stone  at  it." 

Notudui  took  his  sling  and  hurled  a  stone.  Hau 
lowered  his  head  a  little.  The  stone  hit  the  stump 
and  made  a  loud  noise. 

"  Oh,  that's  nothing.  Don't  you  hear  the  noise  ? 
That 's  just  a  stump.  We  '11  throw  again  and  be 


sure." 


Hau  was  just  putting  his  head  out  when  he  saw 


Norwan 


another  stone  coming.  The  stone  hit  the  stump, 
and  made  a  great  noise. 

"  There,  do  you  think  that  is  a  person  ?  Do 
you  think  the  stone  would  make  a  noise  like  that 
if  it  hit  some  one  ?  " 

They  threw  no  more  stones.  Hau  waited  till 
dark,  when  he  went  back  and  told  Sehinom  every 
thing. 

"  Now,  my  brothers,"  said  Sehinom  Chabatu  to 
the  two  Tsudi  boys,  "  you  must  go  to  that  camp. 
Go  straight  to  the  centre  house,  go  into  it  to 
gether.  Then  let  one  go  west  and  the  other 
east.  Look  carefully,  and  when  you  see  a  bow, 
cut  the  string  to  it.  Cut  the  strings  in  the 
first  house  before  you  part,  and  then  cut  alone. 
Go  into  each  house  and  cut  every  bow-string.  As 
you  go  around  the  houses  inside,  some  one  may  see 
you  and  say,  (  Look  at  those  Tsudis,'  but  pay  no 
heed,  go  on  cutting." 

The  two  Tsudi  brothers  went  to  the  middle  house 
together ;  then  one  went  east,  and  the  other  west. 
They  went  through  each  house.  In  some  they 
found  a  few  bows,  in  others  a  great  many.  They 
cut  till  daylight  was  coming.  They  went  home  then, 
and  said,  — 

"We  cut  bow-strings  all  night,  and  had  to  stop 
because  daylight  was  coming,  but  we  left  only  a  few 
strings  uncut.  The  people  slept,  except  one  man 
in  the  sweat-house.  We  don't  think  he  ever  sleeps. 
He  talks  always." 

"  I  know  him,"  said  Sehinom.  cc  He  talks,  but 
he  is  asleep  while  he  talks  [whistles].  Daylight 


1 1 6      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

is  coming,  we  must  go.  Do  the  best  you  can, 
do  your  best,  all  of  you." 

The  army  was  so  large,  and  there  were  so  many 
Tidoks  that  they  spread  over  the  country  like  a 
flood ;  they  rushed  across  the  hill  and  ran  down 
into  the  valley ;  when  the  people  sleeping  in  the 
houses  heard  them  coming,  they  sprang  up  and  ran 
for  their  bows. 

"  Oh,  my  bow-string  is  broken  !  "  cried  one. 

"  Oh,  my  bow-string  is  broken  !  "  cried  another. 

"  Give  me  a  bow  !  Give  me  a  bow ! "  cried  a 
third. 

This  was  heard  all  over  the  camp;  every  one  was 
crying :  "  My  bow-string  is  broken  !  Give  me  a 
bow !  " 

Sehinom's  army  poured  in  on  them  like  great 
waves  of  water.  Sehinom  rushed  to  the  chief  house, 
and  shouted,  — 

"Where  are  you,  Sutunut  ?  I  want  to  see  you. 
You  boasted  so  much  in  Dau  Paki  Olel,  I  want  to 
see  you.  Where  are  you,  Sutunut  ?  " 

Sutunut  said  nothing,  kept  still.  He  was  in  a 
house  a  short  distance  away,  and  some  one  else 
killed  him. 

The  southern  people  could  not  fight  well  without 
bows  and  arrows ;  they  did  what  they  could  to  de 
fend  themselves,  but  at  noon  they  were  killed  to  the 
last  person,  not  one  escaped. 

Sehinom  Chabatu  with  his  chief  men  and  all  their 
forces  started  for  home,  leaving  Kot  and  Ho  Herit 
behind,  with  some  Tidoks  to  fire  all  the  houses. 
Just  as  they  had  set  fire  to  everything,  a  new  force 


Norwan  1 1  7 


of  southern  people  came  up,  surprised  them,  and 
killed  a  great  many. 

"  Sehinom  Chabatu  has  gone,"  said  Ho  Herit, 
when  he  saw  them.  "  New  forces  are  coming 
against  us.  Now,  Tidok  people,  you  must  fight 
well." 

The  new  forces  chased  Ho  Herit  and  his  men. 
The  Tidoks  fought  bravely.  Many  were  killed  on 
both  sides.  Ho  Herit  himself  was  killed.  Fresh 
people  from  the  south  were  coming  continually, 
while  the  Tidoks  had  no  reinforcements.  At  last 
Kot  Herit  was  killed,  and  most  of  the  Tidoks 
who  fought  under  him.  Then  the  southern  people 
turned  and  went  home.  The  few  Tidoks  who 
escaped  with  their  lives  went  north  to  their  own 
place. 

Sehinom  Chabatu  went  back  to  Dau  Paki  Olel 
and  lived  there.  He  and  those  who  came  home 
with  him  did  not  know  for  a  long  time  of  the  second 
battle  and  the  death  of  Kot  and  Ho  Herit. 

This  is  the  end  of  that  war.  All  the  people  who 
returned  with  Sehinom  Chabatu  came  home  in 
safety.  The  first  people  fought  no  more  after  that, 
for  soon  Olelbis  turned  them  into  birds,  beasts, 
and  other  things. 


TULCHUHERRIS 


TULCHUHERRIS 

PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  creature  or  thing  into  which 
the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Hawt,  lamprey  eel ;  Kulitek,  a  white  feather  in  the  tail  of  Komos 
Kulit,  the  black  vulture  ;  Nomhawena,  an  earthworm;  Pom  Pokaila, 
earth  old  woman  ;  Sas,  sun  ;  Tichelis,  ground  squirrel ;  Tulchuherris, 
etymologically,  a  person  or  thing  that  has  been  dug  up ;  Winishuyat, 
foresight. 

IT  was  not  in  the  east,  nor  the  north,  nor  the 
south,  but  in  the  west,  on  a  flat  called  Eli- 
Tsarauton  (root  flat),  that  a  little  old  woman  lived 
very  long  ago.  No  person  lived  on  that  flat  but 
this  old  woman,  whose  name  was  Nomhawena 
Pokaila.  She  was  called  also  Pom  Pokaila. 

This  old  woman  had  lived  ten  summers  and  ten 
winters  on  that  flat,  and  one  summer  more ;  she 
dug  roots  there  all  this  time,  for  roots  were  her  food. 
The  flat  was  broad,  and  she  had  dug,  beginning 
at  the  edge  and  going  round  and  round,  till  at  last 
there  was  only  a  small  piece  left  undug,  and  that 
was  in  the  middle. 

One  morning,  when  she  thrust  her  stick  into  the 
ground  deeply,  she  heard  a  cry  like  that  of  a  little 
child.  She  stopped  and  listened ;  heard  the  cry 
far  down  in  the  earth.  She  did  n't  know  what  to 
make  of  it,  but  thought :  "  Whatever  this  is  I  will 
dig  it  out." 


122     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

She  thrust  her  root  stick  down  as  far  as  she  could 
at  one  side  of  the  spot  where  the  noise  was,  and 
worked  hard,  took  much  earth  out ;  then  she  heard 
the  cry  a  little  forward,  and  dug  forward.  She  went 
next  to  the  opposite  side  and  dug  all  around  the 
cry,  dug  till  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  but  found 
nothing.  Then  she  dug  around  again,  thrust  the 
stick  deeper  in  the  first  spot,  and  said,  "  I  must 
find  that,  I  must  have  it." 

She  thrust  the  stick  down  deeper,  —  got  nothing. 
She  went  on  the  other  side,  pushed  the  stick  still 
deeper,  and  turned  over  the  great  lump  of  earth  that 
was  in  the  middle.  Under  this  she  found  a  little 
boy.  The  moment  she  saw  him  she  heard  a  noise 
like  thunder  far  off  in  the  east,  at  Saskewil,  the 
place  where  Sas  lives.  When  she  raised  him  to 
the  surface,  she  heard  this  noise  a  second  time. 

The  baby's  head,  as  she  raised  him  to  the  surface, 
was  to  the  east,  his  feet  to  the  west ;  underground 
his  head  was  to  the  south,  and  his  feet  to  the 
north. 

"Tsok  tso,  tsok  tso!"  (good  baby,  good  baby), 
said  the  old  woman,  fondling  him  in  her  arms. 
She  took  the  buckskin  apron  from  her  back,  laid  it 
on  the  ground,  put  the  little  boy  on  it,  and  wrapped 
him  up  carefully.  Then  she  fondled  him  again, 
saying,  "  Tsok  tso,  tsok  tso  ! "  and  said,  "  I  am 
old,  I  am  your  grandmother ; "  and  she  carried 
him  to  her  house.  She  took  water  and  washed 
him,  washed  all  his  body.  Every  morning  she 
washed  him.  She  could  not  sleep  at  night,  she 
was  so  anxious.  She  watched  him  all  the  time. 


Tulchuherris 


123 


All  night,  all  day  she  watched,  never  put  him  on 
the  ground,  but  washed  him  much,  saying, — 

"  I  wish  you  to  grow  quickly.  You  are  the 
only  person  seen  here.  I  wish  you  to  walk  soon." 

In  five  weeks  after  she  had  found  him  he  could 
walk  a  little  and  talk  some.  When  he  was  able  to 
talk  well,  the  old  woman  said, — 

"  Now,  my  grandson,  I  will  tell  you  a  thing  which 
you  must  remember.  When  you  play  around  out 
side  the  house,  never  go  to  the  east,  never  go 
toward  Saskewil,  where  Sas  lives.  Play  in  the  north 
or  the  south  or  the  west,  but  never  go  east." 

The  boy  grew  fast  and  was  able  to  play.  As  his 
grandmother  was  telling  him  always  not  to  go  east, 
he  said  to  himself,  — 

"  I  wonder  why  my  grandmother  tells  me  not 
to  go  east.  I  'd  like  to  know  why." 

One  morning  the  boy  went  to  play,  went  south 
from  the  house  a  short  distance,  and  heard  a  voice, 
heard  some  one  shouting,  calling  from  some  place, 
he  did  n't  know  where  this  voice  was.  He  listened, 
and  soon  heard  it  a  second  time.  It  came  from 
above,  from  the  sky.  He  saw  no  one,  but  the  voice 
said,  — 

"  Little  boy,  your  name  is  Tulchuherris.  I 
know  you,  Tulchuherris.  You  are  the  first  person 
in  this  place  the  greatest.  You  must  do  what  you 
can  to  live.  You  must  do  your  best  to  conquer. 
You  are  Tulchuherris." 

The  boy  heard  and  understood.  He  went  home, 
but  said  nothing  to  his  grandmother,  said  nothing 
of  that  voice  in  the  sky  that  had  called  him. 


1 24      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

She  told  him  again,  as  before,  not  to  go  east. 
She  told  him  this  many  times.  Now  he  was  almost 
a  young  man,  he  had  grown  so  fast.  It  was  nearly 
spring,  and  the  old  woman  talked  to  him  seriously. 
When  he  had  been  with  her  all  the  winter,  she  said  : 

"  My  grandson,  I  suppose  you  wish  to  know 
something.  I  am  going  to  talk  to  you.  You  will 
soon  be  full  grown.  I  will  let  you  know  why 
I  have  told  you  so  often  not  to  go  east.  You 
wished  to  know  why,  now  I  will  tell  you. 

"A  long  time  ago  all  my  people  —  my  son,  my 
brother,  my  relatives  —  went  away  off  to  the  east 
and  never  came  back  again.  I  was  left  here  alone. 
There  is  a  great  house  off  in  the  east  there,  called 
Saskewil.  A  big  old  man,  Sas,  with  his  wife  and 
two  daughters,  live  in  it.  All  my  kin  went  to  that 
place  and  were  killed  there.  When  any  one  goes 
into  Saskewil,  the  old  woman,  Sas's  wife,  sits  on  the 
east  of  the  door,  which  is  open  to  the  south ;  her 
daughters  sit  on  the  west  side.  The  old  woman 
sits  with  her  back  toward  the  wall  and  her  face  to 
the  north.  She  never  looks  backward,  but  when 
a  visitor  is  inside  a  while  and  is  sitting,  she  turns 
slowly,  puts  her  hands  to  each  side  of  her  eyes, 
bringing  her  finger-tips  to  meet  in  the  middle 
of  her  forehead,  and  glares  with  big  eyes  at  the 
stranger.  He  looks  at  her  then  and  drops  dead. 
There  is  a  power  in  her  eyes  that  kills  him.  Sas 
has  something  in  his  nose.  He  takes  this,  rolls  it 
on  his  knee,  and  snaps  it  at  people  who  go  to  his 
house.  Nobody  sees  him  do  this,  but  he  kills 
many  people  in  that  way. 


Tulchuherris 


"  Now,  my  grandson,  you  know  why  I  do  not 
wish  you  to  go  east.  I  will  tell  you  more.  There 
was  a  man,  the  best  of  my  people ;  he  went  to 
Saskewil,  he  went  to  the  east  and  was  killed  there. 
I  am  sorry  for  him,  I  grieve  for  him  yet.  I  am 
mourning  now  for  him.  He  was  your  own  brother, 
the  one  that  I  grieve  most  of  all  for.  He  was 
my  grandson.  His  name  was  Kulitek  Herit.  You 
are  large  now,  strong  enough  to  hear  this,  and  I 
tell  you/' 

After  the  old  woman  had  told  him  of  the  people 
who  had  died  in  going  to  Saskewil,  Tulchuherris 
answered,  — 

"  I  am  sorry  for  my  brother.  I  am  sorry  that 
he  was  killed.  Now,  my  grandmother,  I  must  see 
what  I  can  do." 

He  went  out  of  the  house  then,  went  west  and 
found  a  kind  of  white  wood,  brought  it  home  and 
made  an  arrow,  —  a  smooth,  very  small  arrow ;  he 
painted  this  arrow  red,  blue,  and  black,  painted  it 
on  the  end  and  fastened  feathers  to  it.  Then  he 
made  a  bow  of  wood  which  he  found  in  the  same 
place,  far  away  west,  and  painted  it  nicely  on  the 
outer  side. 

Next  morning  before  daylight,  he  went  a  short 
distance  to  the  south  from  his  grandmother's,  took 
his  bow  and  arrow,  strung  the  bow  and  shot  his 
arrow  toward  the  east. 

After  the  little  arrow  had  left  the  bow  it  became 
a  humming-bird  as  it  went  through  the  air.     Before      *• 
the  bird  reached  Sas's  house  it  turned  to  an  arrow 
again. 


I  26      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

A  little  way  from  Saskewil  old  Sas  had  his 
sweat-house  with  only  one  door  to  it.  That  door 
looked  toward  the  south.  The  arrow  dropped 
east  of  the  door  and  stuck  fast  in  the  ground 
there.  It  dropped  before  daybreak,  while  Sas 
was  in  the  sweat-house.  He  heard  something  fall 
outside  the  door,  something  that  struck  the  ground 
with  weight  like  a  great  rock.  He  knew  not 
what  to  think.  He  had  never  heard  such  a  noise 
before. 

When  daylight  came  old  Sas  rose  and  went  out 
of  the  sweat-house.  He  had  slept  all  the  night 
there.  He  looked  around  to  see  what  had  made 
the  great  noise,  and  saw  the  little  arrow.  He 
looked  at  the  arrow,  went  up,  grasped  it,  tried  to 
pull  it  out.  He  took  a  firm  hold,  tried  hard, 
twisted  and  pulled,  but  could  not  draw  the  arrow. 
He  rested  and  then  did  his  best.  He  pulled, 
braced  himself.  His  hands  slipped  and  he  fell  on 
his  back. 

Sas  had  to  leave  the  arrow  where  it  was;  he 
could  not  draw  it  out.  He  went  to  his  house, 
where  his  wife  and  daughters  were.  The  two  girls 
were  very  beautiful.  Sas  took  his  old  wooden  pipe, 
filled  it  with  tobacco,  and  began  to  smoke. 

"  My  old  woman,"  said  he,  "  and  my  daughters, 
I  will  tell  you  what  I  have  seen  just  now.  I  have 
seen  a  thing  such  as  I  have  not  seen  for  a  long 
time,  a  very  long  time.  Long  ago  I  used  to  see 
things  such  as  I  have  seen  just  now  outside  my 
sweat-house.  Something  must  be  wrong.  Some 
one  must  be  thinking  of  us,  some  one  must  be 


Tulchuherris  1 27 


thinking  of  our  house.  I  believe  that  some  day 
soon  we  shall  see  some  person  coming.  I  saw  a 
little  arrow,  and  tried  to  pull  it  out  of  the  ground, 
but  I  was  not  able.  I  tried  till  I  fell  and  hurt 
my  back.  Now,  my  daughters,  you  may  go  if  you 
wish,  and  look  at  that  arrow." 

The  girls  went  out,  they  looked  at  the  arrow, 
and  said,  "  Oh,  that  is  a  nice  arrow ; "  and  they 
tried  to  pull  it  out  of  the  ground.  It  did  not 
come,  and  they  went  back  to  their  father's  house. 

"  Now,  my  grandmother,"  said  Tulchuherris  in 
Eli  Tsarauton,  "  I  am  going  to  leave  you.  I  am 
going  away.  I  am  going  to  the  east.  I  am  going 
to  Saskewil." 

The  old  woman  did  not  like  to  lose  her  grandson. 

"  Oh,  my  grandson,"  said  she,  "  you  will  be 
killed.  You  will  never  come  back  to  me." 

"  My  grandmother,  I  am  going,"  said  Tulchu 
herris.  "  I  am  going,  for  I  must  go,  and  I  will  do 
the  best  I  can." 

He  went  west,  and  found  flint,  put  pieces  of  it  on 
each  finger,  made  finger-nails  of  it,  and  made  them 
very  sharp.  Then  he  went  west  a  second  time,  got 
the  marrow  of  Hunhunut  (no  one  knows  now 
what  creature  Hunhunut  is),  brought  home  the 
marrow,  rubbed  it  between  his  hands,  then  rubbed 
himself  with  it,  face,  head,  all  his  body  except  his 
legs. 

A  third  time  he  went  west,  and  took  a  little  bush 
full  of  thorns,  each  about  an  inch  and  a  half  long, 
made  leggings  and  a  shirt  of  this  thorn-bush.  A 
fourth  time  he  went  west,  and  picked  out  in  a  gulch 


ia8      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

the  firmest  green  water-stone.  Of  this  green  stone 
he  made  shoes.  A  fifth  time  he  went  west,  and 
took  a  western  panther  as  dog.  A  sixth  time  he 
went,  and  took  a  northern  fox  as  dog.  A  seventh 
time  he  went  west,  got  a  sky  spear  pole,  and  a 
sky  spear  head,  and  a  sky  strap  for  the  spear 
pole. 

The  old  woman  had  a  Winishuyat  hidden  away, 
and  when  she  could  not  stop  her  grandson  from 
going  she  gave  him  this  Winishuyat,  which  he  tied 
in  under  his  hair  on  the  top  of  his  head.  The 
hair  was  gathered  over  it  and  tied  so  that  no  one 
could  untie  it  but  Tulchuherris,  and  no  one  could 
see  Winishuyat,  who  was  like  a  little  man,  as  big  as 
a  thumb.  Winishuyat  could  talk  to  Tulchuherris 
and  tell  him  everything,  warn  him  of  every  danger. 
He  always  called  him  "  my  brother."  When  Tul 
chuherris  was  ready,  he  said,  — 

"  My  grandmother,  I  must  go,  and  you  will  stay 
here  while  I  am  gone." 

He  stood  up  then  to  start,  and  his  grandmother 
said,  — 

"  My  grandson,  I  cannot  go  out  for  wood,  I  am 
too  old,  I  am  too  weak.  I  am  not  able  to  bring 
wood,  and  my  fire  will  die/' 

Tulchuherris  put  down  his  quiver  with  his  bow 
and  went  to  the  forest.  He  pulled  up  many  of  the 
biggest  trees  by  the  roots  and  bound  them  in  a 
bundle.  He  brought  the  bundle  to  the  house,  put 
the  trees  on  the  fire,  and  said, — 

"  Now  you  have  plenty  of  firewood,  my  grand 
mother,  and  I  am  going." 


Tulchuherris  1 29 


When  he  had  gone  a  little  way  the  old  woman 
screamed:  "My  grandson,  come  back;  the  fire  is 
dying ! " 

He  put  down  his  quiver  and  bow  near  his  two 
dogs,  went  back,  and  saw  that  the  fire  was  dying. 
The  whole  great  bundle  of  trees  which  he  had 
brought  was  burned  out.  Tulchuherris  went  then 
and  pulled  up  by  the  roots  great  trees,  larger  than 
the  first,  and  brought  two  bundles ;  put  these  on 
the  fire  —  a  great  many  trees.  He  was  the  strong 
est  person  in  the  world,  and  could  do  that. 

"  Now  I  am  going  !  "  said  he.  His  two  dogs 
stood  waiting  at  the  bow  and  the  quiver.  He  had 
gone  farther  than  the  first  time,  he  had  gone  about 
twice  as  far,  when  the  old  woman  screamed,  — 

"  My  grandson,  the  fire  is  out !  " 

Tulchuherris  put  down  his  quiver  and  bow  again, 
left  the  dogs  with  them,  and  hurried  back.  He 
found  every  tree  burned  and  the  fire  going  out. 
He  stood  there  and  thought  and  thought.  At  last 
he  said,  — 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  do.  I  can't  find  wood 
enough,  and  I  can't  leave  my  grandmother  without 
a  fire." 

Then  Winishuyat  said,  — 

"  Tulchuherris,.  if  you  don't  know  how  to  keep  a 
fire  for  your  grandmother,  I  will  tell  you.  Go  out 
here  anywhere.  You  will  find  wild  sunflpwei  roots, 
plenty  of  them.  Put  one  handful  of  those  roots  on 
the  fire,  and  it  will  not  go  out  again." 

Tulchuherris  went  and  dug  the  roots ;  brought 
two  handfuls  ;  put  them  on  the  fire  so  that  they 

9 


1 30      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

would  burn  slowly,  the  ends  touching  the  fire. 
Then  he  said,  — 

"  I  am  going,  grandmother.  Take  good  care  of 
yourself." 

He  went  to  where  his  quiver  and  bow  and  dogs 
were  ;  then  he  looked  back.  His  grandmother  said 
nothing.  She  did  not  call  to  him  this  time.  He 
went  farther,  looked  back,  listened,  no  call  came. 
He  went  still  farther,  listened,  all  was  silent ;  went 
farther  yet,  stopped,  listened,  heard  nothing,  made 
up  his  mind  that  all  was  right  with  his  grandmother, 
and  went  on  till  he  had  gone  a  long  distance,  listened 
a  fourth  time,  heard  nothing.  After  this  he  went 
quickly  till  about  midday,  when  he  looked  ahead 
and  saw  a  great  rock  standing  straight  up  in  front 
of  him,  small  at  the  top  and  very  high.  He  looked 
and  saw  some  one  standing  on  the  very  summit. 
The  rock  was  higher  than  a  big  pine-tree.  A  very 
old  man  was  standing  on  the  top  of  it. 

Tulchuherris  could  go  neither  to  the  north  nor 
the  south,  the  rock  was  straight  in  his  road.  He 
looked  everywhere  for  a  passage,  but  could  see  none. 
He  looked  on  the  left  side,  all  was  dark ;  on  the 
right,  all  was  dark, — dark  everywhere.  There  was 
light  only  in  the  road  which  went  up  the  rock  and 
over  it. 

The  old  man  on  the  rock,  when  Tulchuherris 
came  near,  called  out, — 

"  My  grandson,  come  right  up  to  me ;  there  is  no 
other  road  where  people  travel.  When  you  are 
here,  you  will  pass  down  on  the  other  side  easily." 

"  I  will  go  to  you,"  said  Tulchuherris. 


Tulchuherris  1 3 1 


When  he  had  said  "  I  will  go  to  you,"  Winis- 
huyat,  the  little  man  under  his  hair,  said, — 

"  My  brother,  be  careful,  he  is  going  to  kill  you." 

Tulchuherris  stopped. 

"  Here,"  said  Winishuyat,  "  is  the  place  where 
our  people  came  in  time  past.  Many  were  killed 
here.  They  went  to  the  old  man ;  he  threw  them 
down  and  killed  them.  If  you  go  to  that  old  man, 
my  brother,  he  will  sway  this  big  rock.  In  one 
flash  he  will  throw  you  into  a  dark  place  at  the  side 
where  you  cannot  see  bottom.  Run  to  the  rock 
quickly,  kick  it.  If  not,  he  will  kill  us.  This  old 
man  was  sent  here  by  Sas,  he  was  sent  here  to 
kill  us." 

Tulchuherris  did  not  climb  the  rock,  did  not  go 
to  the  old  man ;  but  he  rushed  forward  and  gave 
the  rock  one  great  kick  with  his  shoe  of  green  water- 
stone.  The  rock  fell,  and  the  old  man  fell  with  it, 
—  fell  into  the  dark  place.  The  rock  never  sprang 
back.  It  left  a  smooth  road  with  a  ridge  on  each 
side  of  the  place  where  it  had  been.  Then  the  two 
dogs  ran  forward,  and  Tulchuherris  said  to  the  old 
man, — 

"  Hereafter  you  will  not  be  what  you  have  been  ; 
hereafter  you  will  be  nothing  but  a  ground  squirrel. 
You  will  live  under  rocks  in  the  earth,  and  the 
people  to  come  will  call  you  tichelis.  You  are  not 
like  me ;  I  am  strong.  You  will  be  nothing  here 
after  but  a  poor  little  ground  squirrel." 

Tulchuherris  followed  the  dogs  then.  He  looked 
back  and  listened ;  he  could  hear  at  a  great  distance, 
he  could  hear  all  over  the  world.  But  he  heard  no 


132      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

sound  from  his  grandmother ;  so  he  went  on  till  he 
came  to  a  large  and  broad  river.  There  he  saw  a 
man  standing.  Tulchuherris  went  nearer,  looked 
up  and  down,  but  could  see  no  place  to  cross  the 
river.  The  man  saw  him  and  said, — 

"  Grandson,  you  cannot  pass  this  big  river ;  you 
must  get  some  one  to  help  you.  I  am  the  only  one 
who  ever  crosses  at  this  point.  I  can  wade  right 
through  the  water.  I  carry  over  all  who  come  here. 
If  you  wish,  I  will  take  you  to  the  other  side ;  but 
you  could  never  go  alone ;  you  could  never  cross 
yourself." 

Tulchuherris  did  n't  know  what  to  do,  and  stood 
thinking. 

"  Go  on,  my  brother,"  said  Winishuyat.  "  Let 
him  carry  you,  though  this  is  one  of  the  places 
where  they  killed  many  of  our  people  who  escaped 
the  old  man  on  the  rock.  But  this  man  cannot 
kill  us.  Let  him  carry  us." 

"  Very  well ! "  said  Tulchuherris  to  the  old  man. 
"  Carry  me  over,  take  me  across  this  river." 

The  old  man  came  up  and  took  him  on  his  back. 
Tulchuherris  had  a  pointed  bone  in  his  bosom  where 
he  could  get  at  it  quickly.  He  had  brought  this 
bone  from  Eli  Tsarauton.  The  old  man  started 
into  the  river.  At  first  it  was  not  deep,  but  in  the 
middle  of  the  stream  the  water  was  up  to  his  breast, 
and  was  growing  deeper.  Then  it  reached  his  neck, 
and  was  rising.  The  dogs  made  a  leap  from  one 
side  of  the  river  to  the  other.  The  water  was  at 
the  man's  eyes  now. 

"  Be  careful,  my  brother,"  said  Winishuyat,  "  be 


Tulchuherris 


33 


careful.  This  man  kills  people  in  this  way, —  he 
drowns  them,  he  will  drown  you  right  away  if  you 
let  him." 

Tulchuherris  took  out  his  sharp  bone,  stabbed 
the  man's  breast  two  or  three  times  with  it, 
wounded  him,  stopped  him.  Then  he  leaped  from 
the  man's  head  to  the  other  bank,  where  his  dogs 
were.  Tulchuherris  stood  a  moment  looking  at  the 
wounded  man.  Then  he  said, — 

"  Hereafter  you  will  not  be  what  you  have  been. 
You  will  be  nothing  but  an  eel.  You  will  be  a 
person  no  longer.  You  will  be  only  an  eel,  the 
people  to  come  will  call  you  hawt  and  will  eat 
you." 

Tulchuherris  walked  forward  quickly  after  this. 
Sas's  two  daughters  heard  every  step  he  took,  as 
though  he  had  been  near,  though  he  was  far,  very 
far  away  from  them.  They  always  heard  men  com 
ing  from  the  west,  —  always  knew  when  they  were 
coming. 

Tulchuherris  walked  quickly  till  almost  evening, 
when  he  came  to  a  high  ridge  near  Sas's  house. 
Just  as  he  reached  the  ridge  he  heard  a  sort  of 
clinking  noise  on  the  other  side.  He  stopped  and 
looked,  but  saw  no  one.  He  was  right  at  the  spot 
where  the  noise  was,  but  there  was  no  one  in  sight. 
The  ridge  was  like  a  straight  wall  reaching  north  and 
south  farther  than  he  could  see,  and  high  up  out  of 
sight,  and  down  into  the  ground.  No  one  could 
go  through,  or  go  around,  or  dig  under  that  wall  or 
climb  over  it.  In  the  middle  of  the  ridge  was  an 
opening  in  which  stood  a  great  sugar  pine,  and  in  the 


134     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

pine  was  a  cleft  large  enough  to  let  a  person  pass 
easily.  When  any  one  was  passing,  and  half-way 
through  the  cleft,  the  pine  closed  and  crushed  him. 
The  noise  was  made  by  a  person  hammering  just  be 
yond  the  wall.  Tulchuherris  looked  through  and 
saw  an  arm,  and  while  he  was  looking  his  dogs  sprang 
through  the  opening  to  the  other  side. 

"  What 's  this  ?  "  called  the  man,  and  he  walked 
to  the  opening.  "  Ah,  are  you  there  ?  Is  that 
you,  my  son-in-law  ?  " 

Tulchuherris  said  nothing,  but  looked  and  saw 
piles  of  bones  inside. 

"  Come  right  in  this  way,  come  in,  my  son-in- 
law,"  said  the  old  man.  "  Come  in ;  you  cannot 
pass  at  another  place." 

When  the  old  man  called  out,  "  Come  in,  you 
cannot  pass  at  another  place,"  Tulchuherris  said, 
"  I  must  pass  here,  but  I  am  afraid." 

"  This  is  the  road  that  all  people  take,  my  son- 
in-law.  Come  straight  through  ;  have  no  fear,  there 
is  no  danger." 

The  two  dogs  went  up  to  the  old  man  and 
smelled  him.  They  growled,  did  not  like  him,  nor 
did  the  old  man  like  the  dogs.  This  old  man  was 
Sas  himself,  he  who  lived  in  Saskewil. 

"  Now,  my  brother,"  said  Winishuyat,  "  go  ahead, 
go  through  as  quickly  as  you  can.  If  you  are  slow, 
he  will  catch  us.  This  is  a  place  where  Sas  has 
killed  many  of  our  people." 

Tulchuherris  took  his  bow  and  quiver  in  one 
hand,  stood  on  one  foot,  braced  himself  sidewise, 
made  a  spring,  and  went  through  in  a  flash.  That 


Tulchuherris 


instant  the  tree  closed  with  a  great  noise,  became 
solid. 

When  Tulchuherris  shot  through,  he  went  far  off 
into  the  field,  and  Sas  did  n't  see  him,  he  went  past 
so  swiftly.  Sas  heard  the  tree  close,  and  thought 
that  Tulchuherris  was  caught  in  it.  He  looked  at 
the  tree  and  began  to  talk. 

"  Well,  my  son-in-law,  you  are  caught,  now 
you  are  nobody.  I  am  Sas.  You  were  weak,  I 
am  strong.  You  wore  your  grandmother's  apron. 
You  knew  nothing;  I  know  everything." 

Tulchuherris  had  come  up,  and  was  standing 
behind  while  old  Sas  was  talking.  He  listened, 
heard  every  word.  After  Sas  had  stopped  talking, 
Tulchuherris  asked,  — 

"  My  father-in-law,  to  whom  are  you  talking  ? 
What  are  you  saying  ?  " 

"  Ha!  "  cried  Sas,  turning  quickly.  "  Son-in-law, 
I  was  talking  to  myself.  I  was  saying  that  I  had 
done  wrong  to  my  son-in-law.  I  am  old,  my 
heart  is  weak,  my  head  is  half  crazy.  I  am  blind 
I  did  not  know  what  I  was  doing.  I  was  say 
ing  that  I  had  done  wrong.  You  are  my  son-in- 
law.  I  am  old,  I  am  weak,  I  am  blind.  My 
head  is  gray.  I  cannot  do  much  now.  You  see 
my  house  over  there ;  it  is  a  poor  house ;  it  is 
poor  because  I  am  old.  Go  ahead ;  go  in.  I  will 
follow  as  soon  as  I  can." 

Tulchuherris  went  ahead,  and  Sas  followed  slowly 
at  a  distance.  The  dogs  had  run  on,  and  were  at 
the  house  already.  On  one  side  of  the  door  out 
side  were  ten  grizzly  bears,  and  ten  on  the  other 


136      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

side.  There  were  rattlesnakes  in  the  door  and 
around  it.  Before  Tulchuherris  came  the  panther 
dog  had  killed  all  the  bears,  and  the  fox  dog  all 
the  snakes  and  things  poisonous.  When  he  came 
near  the  house,  he  stood  a  little  way  off  and  looked 
at  his  dogs.  All  around  Sas's  house  he  saw  great 
piles  of  bones  lying  about  everywhere,  the  bones  of 
his  kindred.  He  began  to  cry  and  lament  for  them. 

When  the  dogs  had  cleared  the  way  outside,  they 
went  into  the  house  and  killed  all  the  grizzlies  and 
rattlesnakes  there ;  the  house  was  full  of  them. 
Tulchuherris  stood  outside,  crying  over  the  bones 
of  his  people.  When  he  had  cried  enough,  he  went 
in.  Old  Sas's  wife  was  sitting  on  the  east  side  of 
the  door  and  his  daughters  on  the  west.  When 
they  saw  Tulchuherris,  the  girls  spread  a  mat,  sat 
on  it,  and  told  him  to  sit  down  between  them. 

"  Now,  my  brother,"  said  Winishuyat,  "  be  care 
ful  of  that  old  woman ;  many  of  our  people  have 
been  killed  by  her.  If  they  were  not  killed  outside, 
she  turned  and  looked  at  them,  and  they  fell  dead 
when  they  saw  her  eyes." 

While  Tulchuherris  was  sitting  with  Sas's  daugh 
ters,  a  large,  long-legged,  red-backed,  very  venomous 
spider  came  on  him ;  then  another  and  another. 
Many  of  these  spiders  crawled  over  him.  He  was 
wearing  his  thorn  shirt,  and  they  could  not  poison 
him ;  they  got  impaled  on  the  thorns  and  died, 
every  one. 

Old  Sas  came  at  last,  and  when  he  walked  into 
the  house  he  took  his  pipe,  filled  it  with  tobacco, 
and  drew  a  few  whiffs  of  smoke.  Then  he  said, — 


Tulchuherris 


"Take  a  smoke,  my  son-in-law;  we  cannot  do 
without  a  pipe.  It  is  best  to  smoke  first  and  talk 
of  affairs  after  that." 

Tulchuherris  took  the  pipe  and  pretended  to 
smoke.  He  was  not  smoking;  still  smoke  came, 
and  the  tobacco  burned  out.  He  gave  the  pipe 
back  to  Sas.  Sas's  tobacco  was  made  of  people's 
flesh  and  of  their  bones  pounded  fine. 

After  Tulchuherris  had  given  back  the  pipe,  he 
took  his  beautiful  quiver,  put  in  his  hand,  and  took 
out  his  own  pipe  of  green  water-stone,  a  solid  piece, 
not  very  big,  but  tremendously  heavy.  He  took 
his  own  tobacco  and  put  it  into  the  pipe.  His 
tobacco  was  the  same  kind  of  marrow  that  he 
had  rubbed  on  his  face,  and  something  mixed 
with  it  (it  is  not  known  what  that  was).  Tul 
chuherris  lighted  the  pipe,  smoked  a  little,  and 
said,  — 

"  Here,  my  father-in-law,  take  a  smoke.  I  am 
only  a  young  man.  You  are  old,  you  are  wise,  you 
know  everything.  You  say  it  is  best  for  us  to  take 
a  smoke.  I  am  young,  do  not  know  much,  but  I 
think  this  pipe  and  tobacco  are  for  talk.  Smoke 
with  me." 

Sas  took  the  pipe,  but  when  Tulchuherris  let  go 
the  old  man  could  not  hold  it.  It  was  slipping 
and  falling.  When  he  tried  to  catch  it,  it  fell  on 
his  arm,  threw  him,  and  held  him  down. 

Sas  struggled  to  push  the  pipe  off  his  arm,  but 
had  not  strength  enough.  Tulchuherris  looked  for 
a  moment,  then  reached  out  his  hand,  picked  up 
the  pipe,  and  asked, — 


138      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"Father-in-law,  what  is  the  matter?  Take  a 
good  smoke.  This  is  Tulchuherris's  pipe." 

Sas  could  not  lift  the  pipe.  Tulchuherris  held  it 
while  the  old  man  was  smoking.  When  Sas  drew 
in  the  smoke  and  swallowed  it,  it  hurt  him  inside. 
The  old  man  was  choking.  He  fell  on  the  ground, 
fell  almost  into  the  fire.  His  breath  was  taken 
from  him.  Tulchuherris  put  the  pipe  aside. 

"  Oh,  help  me  up,  help  me,  my  son-in-law,"  called 
Sas. 

Tulchuherris  helped  him  to  rise,  and  then  sat 
with  the  girls  again. 

"  My  old  father,  Sas,"  said  his  elder  daughter, 
"  what  is  the  matter  ?  You  have  wanted  this  long 
time  to  see  a  man  with  strong  arms.  Why  not 
talk  now  with  this  one  ?  You  have  been  waiting  a 
long  time  for  such  a  man." 

While  they  were  sitting  there,  Winishuyat  said : 
"  My  brother,  look  out  for  the  old  woman.  She  is 
going  to  turn  —  be  on  your  guard  !  " 

Tulchuherris  was  ready.  The  old  woman  had 
not  looked  around  since  he  came.  She  had  been 
sitting  motionless.  Now  she  began  to  turn  slowly, 
and  Tulchuherris  watched  her.  He  sat  with  his 
right  hand  doubled  up,  and  before  she  could  look 
into  his  eyes  he  snapped  two  flint  finger-nails  at 
her,  sent  one  nail  into  each  of  her  eyes  and  put  it 
out.  She  fell  dead  and  rolled  into  the  fire. 

Night  came  now,  and  Tulchuherris  lay  down  on 
the  bed  prepared  by  Sas's  two  daughters.  They 
took  their  places,  one  on  each  side  of  him. 

He  never  took  out  Winishuyat,  he  never  let  any 


Tulchuherris 


39 


one  know  of  him.  As  Tulchuherris  lay  on  his  back, 
he  saw  something  over  his  head,  hanging  from  the 
roof  of  the  house.  Two  obsidian  knives  were  hang 
ing  together  by  a  very  slender  string  of  the  inner 
bark  of  maple.  Tulchuherris  fell  asleep  and  slept 
until  midnight.  He  was  roused  then  by  Winis- 
huyat,  who  said  to  him,  — 

"  Oh,  my  brother,  wake  up.  The  string  holding 
the  knives  is  ready  to  break.  Wake  up,  my  brother, 
wake  up  ! " 

Tulchuherris  woke  up. 

"  Turn  over  !  turn  over  !  "   said  Winishuyat. 

Tulchuherris  turned  in  a  flash.  That  instant  the 
knives  fell,  struck  the  ground  just  at  his  back,  and 
were  broken  to  pieces,  both  knives  at  once. 

This  was  another  way  of  killing  people.  Strangers 
always  slept  soundly  on  that  bed  with  Sas's  daughters, 
were  struck  while  asleep  by  two  knives  in  the  heart, 
and  died  the  same  moment. 

Next  morning  after  the  knives  fell,  Sas  rose  and 
said,  — 

((  Rise  up,  my  son-in-law.  I  have  a  small  sweat- 
house  out  here.  I  go  there  to  sweat  every  morning, 
and  then  to  the  river  to  swim.  I  swim  in  the  river 
every  morning.  We  will  sweat,  and  then  swim." 

Sas  went  ahead,  he  was  first  in  the  sweat-house. 
He  made  a  very  hot  fire  of  the  bones  of  people 
whom  he  had  killed,  —  there  were  piles  of  those 
bones  around  everywhere.  Tulchuherris  went  out 
of  Saskewil  into  the  sweat-house. 

"  Now,  my  brother,"  said  Winishuyat,  when  they 
were  at  one  side  in  the  sweat-house,  "  this  is  the  place 


140      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

where  Sas  has  killed  many  people  who  escaped  in 
the  house.  He  will  smoke  you  to  death  if  he 
can." 

The  sweat-house  was  built  of  bones,  and  was 
plastered  outside  with  mucus  from  Sas's  nose,  so 
that  no  smoke  could  escape  through  the  cracks. 
After  Tulchuherris  went  in  he  saw  how  Sas  made 
the  fire.  The  old  man  never  used  wood,  always 
bones.  He  piled  on  bones ;  fat  and  marrow  came 
out  of  them,  blazed  up,  made  a  great  smoke,  and 
the  smell  of  the  smoke  was  not  pleasant.  After 
sweating  for  a  while  Sas  said,  — 

"  I  am  old  now  and  weak,  nearly  blind.  I  can 
not  stand  much.  My  head  aches.  I  must  go  out  to 
rest.  Stay  here  you  and  take  a  good  sweat.  When 
you  have  finished,  come  out." 

Old  Sas  went  out.  The  door  was  small,  he  could 
barely  crawl  through  it.  When  outside,  he  lay 
across  the  door  and  stopped  the  passage  with  his 
body,  so  that  no  one  could  go  out  and  no 
smoke  could  escape.  After  a  time  Tulchuherris 
said,  — 

"  My  father-in-law,  I  should  like  to  go  out. 
Go  from  the  door,  let  me  pass,  I  have  sweated 
enough." 

"  Oh,  I  am  old  and  weak,"  answered  Sas.  fc  I  am 
lying  here  to  rest.  When  I  have  rested  some,  my 
son-in-law,  I  will  rise  and  let  you  out." 

Tulchuherris  was  silent  a  little  while  longer. 
Then  he  groaned,  "  Oh,  I  'm  nearly  dead ! " 

"  My  brother,"  asked  Winishuyat,  "  do  you  want 
to  die  ?  Do  you  want  old  Sas  to  kill  you,  to  smoke 


Tulchuherris  141 


you  to  death  ?  You  have  no  wish  to  die,  I  do  not 
want  to  die.  We  are  strong  people,  stronger  than 
Sas.  I  will  tell  you  how  to  go  out.  Take  that 
Chirchihas  bone  which  you  have  and  make  a  hole 
in  the  north  side  of  the  sweat-house." 

Tulchuherris  made  a  hole  in  the  wall  of  the  sweat- 
house.  He  spat  then  and  spoke  to  the  spittle. 
"  Make  noise  for  an  hour,"  said  he,  "  and  groan 
just  as  I  do  — c  enh,  enh,  enh  ! '  Let  Sas  believe 
that  I  am  here,  that  I  am  dying." 

Tulchuherris  slipped  out  through  the  hole,  walked 
to  the  river,  swam  there,  washed  himself  clean, 
went  back  to  Saskewil,  and  sat  down  with  his  two 
wives,  Sas's  daughters.  Sas  heard  the  groaning  of 
the  spittle  inside  and  said  to  himself,  "Tulchu 
herris  is  dying." 

After  a  long  time  the  noise  stopped,  and  Sas  said, 
"  Tulchuherris  is  dead."  Then  he  went  to  the  river, 
washed  himself,  and  walked  along  slowly  toward  the 
house.  When  he  came  near,  he  was  saying,  — 

"  Tulchuherris,  you  are  nobody.  I  have  finished 
you  now.  I  am  wiser  than  you,  stronger  than  you. 
You  were  brought  up  in  your  grandmother's 
apron." 

Tulchuherris  heard  him.  When  Sas  was  outside 
the  door,  he  stood  a  while  and  talked  on,  — 

"  You  were  dug  out  of  the  ground,  Tulchuherris," 
said  he.  "You  are  nobody.  I  have  beaten  you. 
You  '11  never  trouble  me  again." 

He  started  to  go  into  the  house,  looked  around, 
and  saw  Tulchuherris  sitting  with  his  two  daughters. 

"  Father-in-law,  were  you  talking  of  me  ?     What 


142      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

were  you  saying  ?  "  asked  Tulchuherris,  when  Sas 
had  come  in  and  sat  down. 

"  Oh,  my  son-in-law,  I  cannot  tell  what  I  said, 
but  I  was  thinking,  £  Oh,  I  am  so  old,  I  know  noth 
ing.  I  am  weak,  I  am  blind.  Sometimes  I  do  not 
know  what  I  am  doing.  I  think  that  I  have  done 
wrong  to  my  son-in-law,  my  poor  son-in-law.' ' 

Soon  after  Sas  went  out,  and  at  one  side  near  the 
door  he  dug  a  grave  for  the  old  woman,  his  wife. 
When  he  had  dug  it,  he  buried  her  and  with  her  all 
the  bears  and  snakes,  and  said,  "  These  are  my 
children."  He  put  them  in  the  same  grave,  and 
cried,  singing  as  he  cried,  — 

"  Koki,  koki,  koki  nom, 

Koki,  koki,  koki  nom." 
(Creeping,  creeping,  creeping  west, 
Creeping,  creeping,  creeping  west.) 

While  he  was  burying  his  wife  and  the  bears  and 
the  snakes,  he  had  beaver  teeth  hanging  on  strings 
at  the  back  of  his  head  and  on  each  side  of  his  face. 
After  he  had  cried  awhile  he  danced  and  sang,  and 
these  teeth  rattled  as  his  head  swayed  from  side  to 
side.  Then  he  went  into  the  house,  sat  down, 
looked  at  Tulchuherris,  and  said,  — 

"  Tulchuherris,  you  are  my  son-in-law ;  your 
wives,  those  two  women,  are  my  daughters.  There 
are  some  things  which  they  have  wanted  to  play 
with  this  long  time,  and  they  have  begged  me  to  go 
for  them,  but  I  am  old  and  blind  ;  if  I  were  to  go  I 
could  not  get  what  they  ask  for.  My  daughters 
want  pets.  My  son-in-law,  on  a  small  tree,  not  far 


Tulchuherris 


from  this  house,  is  a  nest,  and  young  woodpeckers 
chirp  every  day  in  it.  Your  wives  want  these  red 
headed  woodpeckers,  but  I  am  blind  and  old ;  I 
cannot  climb  the  tree,  but  you  can  get  the  wood 
peckers.  I  will  show  the  nest." 

"  Go  ahead,"  said  Tulchuherris,  cc  show  me  the 
nest." 

The  tree  was  a  mile  away.  Sas  went  to  it  and 
stopped.  Tulchuherris  stood  near.  Both  looked 
up,  and  Sas  asked,  "  Do  you  see  the  nest  ?  " 

The  tree  was  very  straight,  and  so  high  that  they 
could  hardly  see  the  top  of  it ;  the  trunk  was  as 
smooth  as  ice. 

"  My  father-in-law,"  said  Tulchuherris.  "  I  do 
not  think  that  I  can  go  up  there  ;  I  do  not  believe 
that  I  can  climb  the  tree." 

"  You  can  climb  it  if  I  help  you,"  said  Sas,  who 
took  out  a  rope  made  of  single  hairs  tied  end  to 
end,  a  great  many  of  them  tied  together,  hairs  from 
the  heads  of  his  daughters.  He  threw  the  rope  very 
high  over  a  limb  near  the  nest,  and  said  :  "  Now, 
my  son-in-law,  I  will  hold  the  rope ;  you  climb." 

Tulchuherris  began  to  climb  the  rope.  He  went 
up,  up,  up,  till  he  reached  the  limb  and  stood  on  it. 
Sas  was  on  the  ground,  holding  the  other  end  of  the 
rope.  When  Tulchuherris  let  go  his  hold,  Sas 
pulled  the  rope  down,  and  left  Tulchuherris  on  the 
limb  very  high  in  the  air.  Sas  turned  home. 
When  a  short  distance  he  said,  — 

"  Now,  Tulchuherris,  you  are  nobody.  Your 
grandmother,  Nomhawena,  is  old.  She  dug  you 
out  of  the  ground  with  a  root  stick.  You  grew  up 


1 44      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

in  her  petticoat.  You  are  not  strong,  you  are  not 
wise,  you  are  only  Tulchuherris.  I  am  Sas." 

When  Tulchuherris  looked  down  he  was  terrified, 
it  was  so  far  to  the  ground. 

"My  brother,"  said  Winishuyat,  "we  shall  get 
down.  Lengthen  the  pointed  bone  which  you  have, 
and  go  higher.'* 

Tulchuherris  went  to  the  nest,  looked  in,  and 
saw  a  great  many  heads  peeping  out  in  every  direc 
tion,  —  all  heads  of  rattlesnakes.  He  looked  awhile  ; 
could  not  think  what  to  do. 

"  Make  the  bone  long,'*  said  Winishuyat. 
Tulchuherris  stretched  the  bone.  "  Stick  the  bone 
into  the  head  of  each  snake  and  gather  them  all 
on  it." 

Tulchuherris  did  this  quickly ;  had  them  all ; 
then  he  slipped  them  off  and  let  them  drop  to  the 
earth.  After  that  he  sat  on  the  limb  and  thought : 
"  What  shall  I  do  now  ?  " 

"  My  brother,"  said  Winishuyat,  "  what  are  you 
thinking  of?  Why  not  try  to  do  something  ?  Do 
you  want  to  die  ?  If  you  cannot  think  of  a  way  to 
escape,  I  will  tell  you  a  way." 

"  Tell  me,  my  brother." 

"  Stretch  your  right  hand  toward  the  west.  Some 
thing  will  come  on  it." 

Tulchuherris  stretched  his  hand  toward  the  west, 
where  his  grandmother  was,  and  immediately  some 
thing  came  with  a  whirr  and  a  flutter,  and  settled  on 
his  arm  like  a  bird.  It  was  a  sky-strap,  blue  like 
the  sky,  narrow,  and  very  strong.  He  fastened  one 
end  of  it  to  the  limb,  knotting  it  in  such  a  way  that 


Tulchuherris 


he  could  untie  it  with  a  jerk  at  the  other  end.  He 
slipped  down  on  it,  and  when  on  the  ground  jerked 
it  loose.  He  strung  the  snakes  on  the  long  bone, 
they  were  all  dead,  and  carried  them  to  Sas's  house. 
He  laid  them  at  the  door,  went  in,  sat  down, 
and  then  said  to  the  two  women, — 

"  I  have  the  woodpeckers  if  you  wish  to  play 
with  them.  If  you  don't  want  them,  you  can  send 
your  father  to  look  at  them." 

The  girls  told  Sas.  He  went  to  the  snakes  and 
cried  out :  "  Oh,  my  son-in-law,  you  are  killing  all 
my  children.'*  Sas  buried  them  in  the  old  woman's 
grave,  and  cried,  and  sang  the  same  song  over  them 
as  over  his  wife  and  the  bears.  Then  he  danced, 
wearing  the  beaver  teeth. 

Next  morning  old  Sas  rose  first,  and  said :  "  My 
son-in-law,  be  up.  My  daughters  always  want  me 
to  fish  and  hunt ;  but  I  cannot  fish  now,  I  cannot 
hunt.  I  am  old  and  weak.  My  feet  are  tender,  I 
cannot  walk ;  my  head  is  dizzy.  But  you  are 
young,  my  son-in-law.  You  can  do  many  things. 
If  you  wish  to  hunt,  I  will  show  you  where  to  find 
game  in  plenty.  When  I  was  young,  I  used  to  go 
to  that  place  and  kill  game  of  every  sort." 

"  I  will  go,"  said  Tulchuherris. 

When  they  were  at  the  place,  Tulchuherris  saw 
only  thick  brush  through  which  no  man  could  pass. 
There  was  only  one  narrow  opening,  one  little  trail, 
and  one  tree  at  the  end  of  it.  "  Stand  against  that 
tree,"  said  Sas.  "  When  deer  come,  they  always 
run  past  that  tree.  I  will  drive  deer  in.  You 

shoot," 

10 


146      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Sas  went  north  to  drive  deer  in. 

"  Now,  my  brother,"  said  Winishuyat,  "  be  care 
ful.  You  see  the  bones  around  here.  They  are 
people's  bones.  When  Sas  could  not  kill  people 
elsewhere,  he  brought  them  to  this  place  and  killed 
them.  He  will  drive  ten  grizzly  bears  up  to  kill  us, 
and  eat  us.  Tell  your  panther  dog  what  to  do." 

"  You,  my  dog,"  said  Tulchuherris,  "  stand  behind 
the  tree  till  you  see  a  grizzly  bear  spring  at  me.  I 
will  dodge.  He  will  miss  and  turn  again  at  me. 
Kill  him  when  he  turns." 

Tulchuherris  heard  Sas  driving  bears  in  the  dis 
tance.  "Ha-ha,  ho-ho!  Ha-ha,  ho-ho !"  shouted 
Sas. 

"  Be  ready  ;  they  are  coming!  "  said  Winishuyat. 

Tulchuherris  heard  Sas  coming.  Then  he  saw  a 
grizzly,  and  another,  and  another,  till  five  were  in 
sight.  A  little  behind  these  were  five  others.  When 
the  first  bear  came  near,  he  bounded  at  Tulchuherris, 
Tulchuherris  dodged.  The  bear  went  past  a  good 
distance,  and  then  turned  to  spring  back.  That 
moment  the  panther  dog  seized  him  by  the  throat 
and  killed  him.  The  second  bear  sprang  at  Tul 
chuherris.  He  dodged;  the  bear  passed,  and 
turned  to  come  back.  The  panther  dog  seized 
and  killed  him  right  there.  When  he  had  chased 
the  bears  in,  Sas  turned  home,  saying  as  he  went,  — 

"  You  are  in  a  good  place  to-day,  Tulchuherris. 
I  have  you  now  where  my  children  will  kill  you.  I 
know  more  than  you ;  I  am  stronger  than  you. 
I  am  Sas." 

After  ten  bears  were  killed  and  no  more  came, 


Tulchuherris 


47 


Tulchuherris  stood  awhile,  and  taking  the  bears  in 
one  hand  by  the  paws,  he  walked  home  with  them  ; 
carried  them  as  he  would  little  birds.  He  put  them 
at  Sas's  door,  went  in,  sat  down,  and  said  to  his 
wives,  — 

"  I  have  something  outside.  You  call  them  deer, 
I  give  them  another  name.  But  this  is  the  only  kind 
of  deer  that  your  father  drove  to  me.  You  eat 
this  kind  of  deer,  I  suppose.  Go  and  see  them,  or 
tell  your  father  to  go." 

Sas  went  out  and  saw  the  ten  grizzly  bears  lying 
dead.  "  Oh,  my  son-in-law,"  cried  he,  "  you  are 
killing  all  my  children  ! "  Then,  singing  and  cry 
ing,  he  buried  the  bears. 

Next  morning  Sas  rose  early.  "  My  son-in-law," 
said  he,  "  there  is  something  which  I  would  like  you 
to  do  to-day.  My  daughters  have  been  asking  me 
to  do  this  for  a  long  time  ;  but  I  am  too  old.  I  will 
show  you  a  brush  house.  I  made  it  to'kill  birds  of 
every  kind  and  all  kinds  of  game.  It  is  near  a 
spring  at  which  birds  meet  to  drink.  Come;  I 
will  show  you  the  house  and  the  spring." 

"  My  brother,  be  careful  to-day,"  said  Winishuyat, 
at  starting.  "  Sas  is  taking  us  to  Wintubos,  where 
he  has  killed  many  people.  There  is  no  water 
near  that  place ;  no  spring ;  but  the  house  is  full 
of  snakes,  poisonous  things,  and  bears.  Take  both 
your  dogs  with  you." 

After  Tulchuherris  and  Sas  had  gone  a  short 
distance,  Sas  stopped  and  said, — 

"  My  son-in-law,  you  see  that  little  house  down 
there  ?  Go  into  it  and  wait  till  you  see  some  nice 


148      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

birds  or  game  coming,  then  kill  them.  I  will  go 
back.  I  am  old  and  cannot  stand  or  sit  here  and 
wait  for  you.  I  will  go  home  and  lie  down  till  you 


come." 


Sas  went  home. 

Tulchuherris  went  near  the  house,  and  stopped. 
The  two  dogs  sprang  into  the  house  at  a  leap,  and 
killed  all  the  snakes  and  the  bears  in  it.  When  the 
dogs  had  come  out,  Tulchuherris  went  in  to  look 
at  the  house  and  the  spring.  He  saw  piles  of 
bones  everywhere.  He  cried  when  he  looked  at 
them.  There  was  no  water  in  the  spring.  It  was 
mud,  thick  mud  mixed  with  people's  flesh.  Tul 
chuherris  looked  toward  the  east,  and  far  away  he 
saw  an  open  plain.  Soon  he  saw  what  seemed  a 
small  speck  at  first.  It  was  moving.  As  he 
watched,  it  came  nearer,  and  he  saw  it  was  a 
person.  Now  far  away  he  saw  something  else. 
The  first  was  a  small  man;  the  second  still  smaller. 
Tulchuherris  saw  that  they  were  running  toward 
him.  They  came  near  and  stopped. 

"Have  no  fear.  Come  up  to  me,"  said  Tulchu 
herris. 

The  larger  said  :  cc  O  my  brother,  my  brother,  I 
am  thirsty." 

"  Oh,  my  brother,"  said  the  smaller  one,  "  we 
are  very  thirsty." 

Their  hair  was  clipped  close  to  their  heads. 
Tulchuherris  stepped  back  toward  the  north,  struck 
the  ground  with  his  heel,  and  clear,  cold  water 
sprang  up  in  a  stream.  He  drank  himself,  and  said, 
"  Come  and  drink." 


Tulchuherris  149 


The  first  of  these  strangers  was  Anakurita 
(orphan),  the  second  Biahori  (lone  man) ;  only  these 
two  were  left  of  all  people  in  those  parts.  Sas  had 
killed  all  the  rest.  "  The  last  of  our  relatives 
were  killed  at  this  spring,"  said  they.  "  We  alone 
are  left.  We  are  going  home." 

"  If  you  come  here  again,"  said  Tulchuherris, 
"  do  not  go  near  the  spring  at  the  house.  That  is 
a  bad  place.  Drink  this  good  water  which  I  have 
given  you." 

The  two  went  away.  Tulchuherris  put  the  sharp 
end  of  his  bone  through  the  heads  of  the  snakes 
which  the  dogs  had  killed,  there  were  hundreds  of 
them.  The  ten  grizzly  bears  he  carried  home  in 
one  hand. 

"  I  have  something  outside,"  said  he  to  Sas's 
daughters.  "  You  call  them  birds,  t  believe ;  they 
are  all  the  birds  that  I  found  at  the  brush  house. 
Tell  your  father  to  look  at  them." 

Sas  went  out  and  began  to  cry.  He  enlarged  his 
wife's  grave  and  buried  them.  "  These  are  my  chil 
dren,"  said  he ;  and  he  sang  and  danced  as  before. 

Sas  rose  early  next  morning.  "  My  son-in-law," 
said  he,  "  your  wives  ask  me  to  get  fish  for  them, 
but  I  am  too  old.  When  I  was  young  I  used  to 
fish,  but  now  I  cannot  see,  You  are  young ;  I  will 
show  you  a  good  place  for  trout.  My  old  pole  and  * 
spear  points  are  there  ;  you  may  use  them." 

They  started,  came  to  a  river  with  a  bridge  over 
it  formed  of  one  hair.  "  My  brother,"  said  Winis- 
huyat,  "  this  is  a  place  where  Sas  has  killed  many 
of  our  people." 


150      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  My  son-in-law,"  said  Sas,  "  cross  this  bridge  and 
catch  fish  ;  I  will  go  home." 

"Very  well,"  answered  Tulchuherris,  who  put 
his  foot  on  the  end  of  the  bridge  and  crossed  with 
one  spring.  On  the  other  side  he  went  to  the  fish 
ing-hut,  fixed  so  that  a  man  could  look  up  and 
down  the  river  while  fishing.  Tulchuherris  had  his 
own  spear-shaft,  a  sky-pole  ;  the  string  was  a  sky- 
strap.  He  had  his  own  point,  too. 

He  waited  for  fish,  and  at  last  saw  something 
come  slowly  from  the  south.  It  stopped,  and  then 
looked  at  him.  Tulchuherris  saw  a  face  and  a 
head  with  long  hair  tied  in  a  knot  with  a  band  of 
woodpeckers'  scalps,  a  long  band  wound  around 
many  times.  Tulchuherris  wore  just  such  a  band, 
but  the  scalps  were  of  mountain  woodpeckers. 

"Ah,  my  brother-in-law,"  called  out  the  person 
in  the  water,  "  let  us  exchange  headdresses." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  you,  my  brother-in-law,"  said 
Tulchuherris.  "  I  hate  to  kill  you,  but  I  must,  for 
my  father-in-law  sent  me  to  kill  you." 

"  Go  ahead,  go  ahead,"  said  Winishuyat.  "  Don't 
spare  him.  Sas  says  he  is  a  fish.  He  is  Sas's  son, 
Supchit.  You  must  catch  him  or  suffer." 

Supchit  turned,  as  it  were,  to  go  back.  Tulchu 
herris  hurled  the  pole,  speared  him  under  the 
arm,  and  the  point  went  through  to  his  other  side. 
Supchit  rushed  toward  the  east  with  great  force. 
Tulchuherris  held  to  the  spear  with  one  hand, 
grasped  tule  grass  with  the  other,  used  all  his 
strength.  Then  he  let  the  spear  go,  and  held  the 
strap.  Though  strong,  he  could  not  stop  Supchit. 


Tulchuherris  151 


He  was  drawn  into  the  water  to  his  waist,  then  to 
his  breast,  and  at  last  to  his  chin. 

"  My  brother,"  said  Winishuyat,  "  do  you  wish 
to  drown?  Call  your  gopher — he  had  a  gopher  in 
his  moccasin  —  "send  him  to  fill  up  the  escapes, 
to  block  all  the  doors  to  Supchit's  houses." 

Tulchuherris  sent  his  gopher  to  fill  every  hole,  all 
Supchit's  doors.  Sas  was  at  home  now.  He  heard 
the  great  struggle,  and  said,  — 

"  Oh,  Tulchuherris,  my  son  will  finish  you. 
This  is  your  last  day." 

The  gopher  stopped  every  opening,  and  Supchit 
went  from  place  to  place.  Every  door  was  closed. 
He  had  to  stay.  Tulchuherris  came  out  of  the 
water  little  by  little,  and  pulled  till  he  drew  Supchit 
to  the  bank,  where  he  died.  He  carried  him  home 
in  one  hand,  as  if  he  had  been  a  small  fish. 

"  My  father-in-law,"  said  Tulchuherris,  "  I  saw 
no  fish  except  one  little  trout.  I  speared  and 
brought  home  that  little  trout." 

Sas  went  out ;  the  two  sisters  went.  "  That  is 
our  brother ! "  cried  they.  "  That  is  my  son," 
called  out  Sas,  "  the  best  son  I  had." 

The  old  man  buried  Supchit  with  his  head  north, 
looking  southward,  and  sang  the  same  song  that  he 
had  sung  for  his  wife  and  the  grizzlies.  Sas  and  his 
daughters  cut  their  hair  in  grief  over  Supchit. 

"  My  son-in-law,"  said  Sas,  next  morning  early, 
"  be  up  ;  I  will  show  you  a  place  where  I  used  to 
play  often  when  I  was  young.  I  am  old  now,  and 
cannot  play  much,  but  I  will  show  you  the  place, 
and  I  may  play  with  you  a  little." 


152     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  I  will  go,"  said  Tulchuherris ;  and  they  started. 

"  Now,  my  brother,"  said  Winishuyat,  "  we  are 
going  to  the  place  where  Sas  himself  has  always 
killed  everyone  who  baffled  him  elsewhere.  No 
man  has  ever  escaped  from  the  place  to  which 
Sas  is  now  taking  you.  He  will  take  you  to  a  tree  ; 
he  will  ask  you  to  climb  it ;  he  will  bend  it  and  let 
it  spring  back  again ;  he  will  kill  you  if  you  are 
not  careful." 

They  went  to  a  very  wide,  level  plain ;  in  the 
middle  of  the  plain  stood  a  tremendous,  big  pine- 
tree,  leaning  to  one  side  somewhat. 

"  My  son-in-law,"  said  Sas,  "  when  I  was  young 
I  used  to  play  here.  I  cannot  play  much  now, 
but  I  '11  show  you  how  to  play." 

"  My  brother,"  said  Winishuyat,  "  I  will  tell  you 
what  to  do.  Sas  will  try  his  best  now  to  kill  us. 
Do  not  kill  him  to-day  ;  try  him,  lead  him  on,  make 
him  go  higher  and  higher  on  the  tree,  and  wait  till 
to-morrow." 

Sas  climbed  the  tree  some  distance  and  said : 
"  Now,  my  son-in-law,  I  am  ready  !  " 

Tulchuherris  seized  the  top  of  the  tree,  pulled  it 
toward  him  a  little,  and  let  it  fly  back.  Sas  kept 
his  hold  and  slipped  down. 

"  Now,  my  son-in-law,  go  up ;  go  higher.  I 
used  to  go  very  high  when  I  was  young  like  you." 
Tulchuherris  went  to  where  Sas  had  been. 

"  Go  higher,"  said  Sas. 

"  I  wanted  to  stay  where  you  were,"  answered 
Tulchuherris  ;  "  but  I  will  go  a  little  higher." 

Sas  took  hold  of  the  tree  at  the  top,  pulled  it  to 


Tulchuherris 


53 


the  earth,  and  let  it  go.  It  sprang  back  into  the 
sky  with  a  noise  like  thunder.  Tulchuherris  held 
on  and  slipped  down  unhurt. 

"Well,  father-in-law,"  said  Tulchuherris,  "try 
again." 

"  I  cannot  go  high,"  said  Sas  ;  "  but  I  will  go  a 
little  higher  than  I  did  the  first  time.  Don't  give 
the  tree  a  big  pull."  He  went  up. 

"  Go  higher,"  said  Tulchuherris. 

"  My  son-in-law,  I  cannot  go  higher  ;  I  am  old." 

Tulchuherris  teased  him  till  he  went  a  little 
higher ;  then  he  gave  a  harder  pull  than  before. 
Sas  held  on  without  trouble  and  slipped  to  the 
ground. 

"  Now,"  said  Sas,  "  I  '11  give  you  a  swing." 
Tulchuherris  went  up. 

"  Go  higher,"  said  Sas.     He  went  higher. 

"  Go  higher ;  you  are  young,"  urged  Sas. 

"  I  don't  like  to  go  up,"  said  Tulchuherris.  But 
he  went  a  little  higher. 

Old  Sas  gave  a  good  pull,  stronger  than  before. 
Tulchuherris  held  on  and  came  to  the  ground 
safely.  Going  to  one  side,  he  said :  "  Whu,  whu  ! 
let  this  day  be  made  short !  "  So  the  day  was 
made  short ;  evening  came  soon. 

"Well,  father-in-law,  you  try  now." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Sas,  "  give  me  a  small  pull ; 
my  arms  tremble ;  I  am  old.  I  cannot  hold  on,  I 
am  so  weak."  Old  Sas  went  up. 

"  Go  higher,"  said  Tulchuherris. 

"  I  cannot ;  I  'm  old." 

Tulchuherris  pulled  down  the  top  of  the  tree, 


154      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

but  not  so  far.  While  he  was  pulling,  Sas  said  : 
"  Oh,  my  son-in-law,  don't  let  it  go  hard." 

Tulchuherris  gave  a  pull  that  would  leave  Sas  on 
the  tree,  and  he  came  down  unhurt. 

"  Now  try  once  more,"  said  Sas,  <c  and  we  will  go 
home." 

"  Very  well,"  answered  Tulchuherris. 

"  Now,  my  brother,"  said  Winishuyat,  "  this  is 
the  last  time  to-day.  He  will  try  hard  to  kill  you. 
Jump  off  before  he  lets  the  tree  go." 

Tulchuherris  went  up  two-thirds  of  the  way. 
Sas  pulled  the  tree  to  the  ground  and  thought  that 
he  would  kill  Tulchuherris  surely  ;  but  just  before 
he  let  it  go,  Tulchuherris  slipped  off  behind  him 
and  rushed  away.  The  tree  flew  up  with  the  noise 
of  heavy  thunder.  Sas  looked  everywhere,  but 
could  not  see  Tulchuherris. 

"  Now,  Tulchuherris,"  said  he,  "  I  have  finished 
you  at  last.  You  are  nobody,  you  are  dead  ;  "  and 
he  started  to  go  home,  talking' to  himself  as  he  went. 

"  Father-in-law,  what  are  you  saying,  to  whom 
are  you  talking?  " 

Sas  turned  around,  amazed.  "  Oh,  my  son-in-law, 
I  am  glad  that  you  are  here.  We  must  go  home. 
We  have  no  wood ;  we  must  get  wood." 

Tulchuherris  thought :  "  My  father-in-law  wants 
to  kill  me-.  To-morrow  I  will  do  what  I  can  to  kill 
him.  When  my  grandmother  spoke  to  me  of  Sas, 
I  knew  nothing  ;  I  paid  no  heed  to  her.  When 
she  warned  me,  I  did  not  listen,  I  did  not  believe; 
but  I  see  now  that  she  spoke  truly  when  she  told 
me  of  Sas's  house." 


Tulchuherris  155 


He  rose  in  the  night,  turned  toward  Sas,  and  said  : 
"  Whu  !  whu  !  I  want  you,  Sas,  to  sleep  soundly." 

Then  he  reached  his  right  hand  toward  the  west, 
toward  his  grandmother's,  and  a  stick  came  on  it. 
He  carved  and  painted  the  stick  beautifully,  red 
and  black,  and  made  a  fire-drill.  Then  he  reached 
his  left  hand  toward  the  east,  and  wood  for  a  mokos 
(arrow-straightener)  came  on  it.  He  made  the 
mokos  and  asked  the  fox  dog  for  a  fox-skin.  The 
fox  gave  it.  Of  this  he  made  a  headband  and 
painted  it  red.  All  these  things  he  put  in  his 
quiver. 

"  We  are  ready,"  said  Tulchuherris.  "  Now, 
Daylight,  I  wish  you  to  come  right  away,  to  come 
quickly." 

Daylight  came.  Sas  rose,  and  they  started  soon 
after  for  the  tree. 

"  My  son-in-law,  I  will  go  first,"  said  Sas ;  and 
he  climbed  the  tree. 

"  Go  higher  !  "  said  Tulchuherris.  cc  I  will  not 
give  a  great  pull,  go  up  higher." 

He  went  high,  and  Tulchuherris  did  not  give  a 
hard  pull.  Sas  came  down  safely. 

Tulchuherris  now  went  high,  almost  to  the  top. 
Sas  looked  at  him,  saw  that  he  was  near  the  top,  and 
then  drew  the  great  pine  almost  to  the  earth,  stand 
ing  with  his  back  to  the  top  of  the  tree.  Tul 
chuherris  sprang  off  behind  Sas  and  ran  away  into 
the  field.  The  tree  sprang  into  the  sky  with  a  roar. 

"  You  are  killed  now,  my  son-in-law,"  said  Sas. 
"You  will  not  trouble  me  hereafter  !"  He  talked 
on  to  himself,  and  was  glad. 


156      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  What  are  you  saying,  father-in-law  ? "  asked 
Tulchuherris,  coming  up  from  behind. 

Sas  turned.  "  Oh,  my  son-in-law,  I  was  afraid 
that  I  had  hurt  you.  I  was  sorry." 

"  Now,  my  brother/'  said  Winishuyat,  "  Sas  will 
kill  you  unless  you  kill  him.  At  midday  he  will 
kill  you  surely,  unless  you  kill  him.  Are  we  not  as 
strong  as  Sas  ?  " 

"  Father-in-law,  try  again ;  then  I  will  go  to  the 
very  top  and  beat  you,"  said  Tulchuherris. 

That  morning  Sas's  elder  daughter  said  to  her 
sister,  after  Sas  and  Tulchuherris  had  gone, — 

"  My  sister,  our  father  Sas  has  tried  all  people, 
and  has  conquered  all  of  them  so  far ;  but  to-day  he 
will  not  conquer,  to-day  he  will  die.  I  know  this  ; 
do  not  look  for  him  to-day,  he  will  not  come  back ; 
he  will  never  come  back  to  us." 

Sas  went  up  high.  "I  will  kill  him  now," 
thought  Tulchuherris,  and  he  was  sorry  ;  still  he 
cried :  "  Go  a  little  higher ;  I  went  higher,  I  will  go 
to  the  top  next  time.  I  will  not  hurt  you,  go  a 
little  higher." 

Sas  went  higher  and  higher,  till  at  last  he  said,  "  I 
cannot  climb  any  more,  I  am  at  the  top ;  don't  give 
a  big  pull,  my  son-in-law." 

Tulchuherris  took  hold  of  the  tree  with  one  hand, 
pulled  it  as  far  as  it  would  bend,  pulled  it  till  it 
touched  the  earth,  and  then  let  it  fly.  When  the 
tree  rushed  toward  the  sky,  it  made  an  awful  noise, 
and  soon  after  a  crash  was  heard,  a  hundred  times 
louder  than  any  thunder.  All  living  things  heard  it. 
The  whole  sky  and  earth  shook.  Olelbis,  who 


Tulchuherris 


'57 


lives  in  the  highest  place,  heard  it.  All  living 
things  said,  — 

"  Tulchuherris  is  killing  his  father-in-law.  Tul 
chuherris  has  split  Sas." 

The  awful  noise  was  the  splitting  of  Sas. 

Tulchuherris  stood  waiting,  waited  three  hours, 
perhaps,  after  the  earth  stopped  trembling :  then,  far 
up  in  the  sky  he  heard  a  voice,  saying, — 

"  Oh,  my  son-in-law,  I  am  split,  I  am  dead.  I 
thought  that  I  was  the  strongest  power  living ;  but 
I  am  not.  From  this  time  on  I  shall  say  Tulchu 
herris  is  the  greatest  power  in  the  world." 

Tulchuherris  could  not  see  any  one.  He  only 
heard  a  voice  far  up  in  the  sky,  saying,  — 

"  My  son-in-law,  I  will  ask  you  for  a  few  things. 
Will  you  give  me  your  fox-skin  headband  ? " 

Tulchuherris  put  his  hand  into  his  fox-skin 
quiver,  took  out  the  band,  and  tossed  it  to  him. 
It  went  straight  up  to  Sas,  and  he  caught  it. 
"  Now  will  you  give  me  your  mokos  ?  "  Tulchu 
herris  took  out  the  mokos  and  threw  it.  "  Give 
me  your  fire-drill ! "  He  threw  thati 

Another  voice  was  heard  now,  not  so  loud :  "  I 
wish  you  would  give  me  a  headband  of  white 
quartz."  This  voice  was  the  smaller  part  of  Sas. 

When  Tulchuherris  had  given  the  headband,  he 
said,  — 

"  My  father-in-law,  you  are  split  —  you  are  two. 
The  larger  part  of  you  will  be  Sas  [the  sun],  the 
smaller  part  Chanahl  [the  moon,  the  white  one]  ; 
and  this  division  is  what  you  have  needed  for  a  long 
time,  but  no  one  had  the  strength  to  divide  you. 


158      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

You  are  in  a  good  state  now.  You,  Chanahl,  will 
grow  old  quickly  and  die;  then  you  will  come  to  life 
and  be  young  again.  You  will  be  always  like  that 
in  this  world.  And,  Sas,  you  will  travel  west  all  the 
time,  travel  every  day  without  missing  a  day ;  you 
will  travel  day  after  day  without  resting.  You  will 
see  all  things  in  the  world  as  they  live  and  die.  My 
father-in-law,  take  this,  too,  from  me." 

Tulchuherris  threw  up  to  Sas  a  quiver  made  of 
porcupine  skin. 

"I  will  take  it,"  said  Sas,  "and  I  will  carry  it 
always." 

Then  Tulchuherris  gave  Chanahl  the  quartz 
headband  and  said,  — 

"  Wear  it  around  your  head  always  so  that  when 
you  travel  in  the  night  you  will  be  seen  by  all  people." 

Sas  put  the  fox-skin  around  his  head,  and  fastened 
the  mokos  crosswise  in  front  of  his  forehead.  The 
fire-drill  he  fastened  in  his  hair  behind,  placing  it 
upright.  At  sunrise  we  see  the  hair  of  the  fox-skin 
around  Sas's  head  before  we  see  Sas  himself. 

Next  Tulchuherris  threw  up  two  red  berries, 
saying,  — 

"  Take  these  and  make  red  cheeks  on  each  side 
of  your  face,  so  that  when  you  rise  in  the  morning 
you  will  be  bright,  and  make  everything  bright." 

Tulchuherris  went  west  and  got  some  white  roots 
from  the  mountain,  threw  them  to  Sas,  and  said, 
"  Put  these  across  your  forehead." 

Next  he  stretched  his  right  hand  westward,  and 
two  large  shells,  blue  inside,  came  to  his  palm.  He 
threw  these  to  Sas  and  said,  — 


Tulchuherris  159 


"  Put  these  on  your  forehead  for  a  sign  when  you 
come  up  in  the  morning.  There  is  a  place  in  the 
east  which  is  all  fire.  When  you  reach  that  place, 
go  in  and  warm  yourself.  Go  to  Olelpanti  now. 
Olelbis,  your  father,  lives  there.  He  will  tell  you 
where  to  go." 

Sas  went  to  Olelpanti,  where  he  found  a  wonder 
ful  and  very  big  sweat-house.  It  was  toward  morn 
ing,  and  Olelbis  was  lying  down,  covered  with  a 
blanket.  While  sleeping  he  heard  a  noise,  and 
when  he  woke  he  saw  some  one  near  him.  He 
knew  who  it  was.  Sas  turned  to  him  and  said,  — 

"  My  father,  I  am  split.  I  thought  myself  the 
strongest  person  in  the  world,  but  I  was  not. 
Tulchuherris  is  the  strongest." 

"Well,  my  son  Sas,"  asked  Olelbis,  "where  do 
you  wish  to  be,  and  how  do  you  wish  to  live?" 

"  I  have  come  to  ask  you,"  replied  Sas. 

"  Well,"  answered  Olelbis,  "  you  must  travel  all 
the  time,  and  it  is  better  that  you  go  from  east  to 
west.  If  you  go  north  and  travel  southward,  I  don't 
think  that  will  be  well.  If  you  go  west  and  travel 
eastward,  I  don't  think  that  will  be  well,  either.  If 
you  go  south  and  travel  northward,  I  don't  think 
that  will  be  right. 

"  I  think  that  best  which  Tulchuherris  told  you. 
He  told  you  to  go  east  and  travel  to  the  west.  He 
said  that  there  is  a  hot  place  in  the  east,  that  you 
must  go  into  that  place  and  get  hot  before  you  start 
every  morning.  I  will  show  you  the  road  from  east 
to  west.  In  a  place  right  south  of  this  is  a  very  big 
tree,  a  tobacco  tree,  just  half-way  between  east  and 


160      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

west.  When  you  come  from  the  east,  sit  down  in  the 
shade  of  that  tree,  rest  a  few  minutes,  and  go  on. 
Never  forget  your  porcupine  quiver  or  other  orna 
ments  when  you  travel. 

"While  coming  up  from  the  east,  you  will  see 
thick  brush  along  the  road  on  both  sides.  In  that 
brush  are  the  grizzly  bears,  your  children.  Be  on 
your  guard  against  them ;  they  would  kill  you  if 
they  could.  As  you  pass  along,  let  your  porcupine 
quiver  touch  the  bushes ;  that  will  keep  the  bears 
away.  When  you  go  far  west  to  the  great  water, 
jump  into  it ;  everybody  will  call  that  place  Sas- 
unhluaston.  No  one  in  the  world  will  believe 
you  except  Sedit.  You  and  Sedit  want  all  things  to 
die  when  they  grow  old.  Go  to  the  east ;  go  into  the 
hot  place  every  morning.  There  is  always  a  fire  in 
it.  Take  a  white  oak  staff,  thrust  the  end  of  that 
staff  into  the  fire  till  it  is  one  glowing  coal.  When 
you  travel  westward  carry  this  burning  staff  in  your 
hand.  In  summer  take  a  manzanita  staff;  put  it 
in  the  fire,  and  burn  the  end.  This  staff  will  be 
red-hot  all  the  day. 

"  Now  you  may  go  east  and  begin.  You  will 
travel  all  the  time,  day  after  day,  without  stopping. 
All  living  things  will  see  you  with  your  glowing 
staff.  You  will  see  everything  in  the  world,  but  you 
will  be  always  alone.  No  one  can  ever  keep  you 
company  or  travel  with  you.  I  am  your  father  and 
you  are  my  son,  but  I  could  not  let  you  stay  with 


me." 


SEDIT    AND    THE    TWO    BROTHERS 

HUS 


II 


SEDIT  AND  THE  TWO  BROTHERS 
HUS 

PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  beast,  bird,  or  thing  into 
which  the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Dokos,    flint  ;    Hus,   turkey   buzzard ;    Klak,    rattlesnake ;    Sedit, 
coyote;  Wima,  grizzly  bear. 


THERE  were  two  brothers  Hus  in  Olelpanti, 
and  Olelbis  had  given  them  a  place  in  his 
sweat-house.  Now,  when  Olelbis  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  send  all  things  down  to  the  earth,  the 
people  in  Olelpanti  were  talking  and  saying, — 

"  What  shall  we  do  now  ?  How  will  it  be  in  the 
world  ?  Dokos  Herit,  Klak  Loimis,  and  Wima 
Loimis  have  done  wrong.  They  are  angry  and 
think  bad  things.  They  will  make  trouble." 

"  Come  into  the  sweat-house,  you  my  people," 
said  Olelbis,  "  and  talk.  Say  what  you  think  is 
best  to  do." 

All  who  were  in  Olelpanti  at  that  time  went  into 
the  sweat-house,  where  they  talked  five  nights  and 
five  days.  On  the  sixth  morning  Olelbis  called  the 
two  Hus  brothers  and  said,  — 

"  I  have  a  great  work  for  you.  Go  down  to 
Tsarauheril,  where  the  first  tree  is.  Right  there  a 
people  will  come  up  out  of  the  earth,  and  they 
will  come  soon.  A  little  above  that  place,  you  two 


,  .^.     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

brothers  must  go  to  work  and  make  a  stone  road 
from  the  earth  up  here  to  Olelpanti.  You  will 
find  stones  and  pile  them  firmly.  Make  the  build 
ing  very  strong.  The  road  itself  will  be  like  steps, 
one  higher  than  another.  When  you  have  built 
half-way  up  to  Olelpanti,  you  will  make  a  place  in 
which  people  may  spend  a  night.  Put  good  water 
there.  When  you  have  finished  the  whole  road, 
people  will  come  up  out  of  the  earth,  and  when  they 
have  come  up  they  will  go  around  on  the  earth 
everywhere,  and  live  and  grow  old.  When  they  are 
old,  they  can  go  to  the  beginning  of  the  road  made 
by  you  and  climb  the  steps.  When  they  are  at  the 
water,  which  is  half-way,  they  will  drink  of  it,  rest 
one  night,  and  next  day  travel  on  till  they  come 
here  to  Olelpanti. 

"  I  will  put  two  springs  of  water  at  this  end,  — 
one  for  them  to  bathe  in,  the  other  to  drink.  If  an 
old  man  is  coming  up,  he  will  drink  of  the  water 
half-way,  he  will  drink  and  feel  better,  and  when  he 
reaches  this  end  and  comes  to  the  water  here,  he 
will  bathe  in  one  spring,  drink  from  the  other,  and 
come  out  young,  fresh,  and  strong.  If  an  old 
woman  comes,  she  will  drink  and  bathe  and  come 
out  a  young  girl.  Then  they  will  go  down  to  the 
earth  again  young  and  healthy.  When  they  grow 
old  a  second  time,  they  will  come  up,  drink,  and 
bathe  again,  and  be  young  a  second  time;  and  it 
will  be  this  way  forever.  Nobody  will  die.  No 
man  will  have  a  wife,  no  woman  a  husband  ;  all  will 
be  as  brothers  and  sisters.  When  the  trees  grow 
large  which  are  small  now,  there  will  be  no  limbs 


Sedit  and  the  Two  Brothers  Hus      *^ 

except  at  the  top,  and  the  acorns  on  those  trees  will 
have  no  shells.  They  will  be  ready  to  eat  without 
husking  or  cracking,  and  it  will  be  so  on  all  trees,  — 
no  husks  or  shells  on  the  acorns ;  nobody  will  need 
to  climb ;  the  nuts  will  fall  ready  to  be  eaten." 

When  Olelbis  had  finished  talking,  he  sent  away 
the  two  brothers.  "  Go  now,"  said  he,  "  and  make 
that  great  road." 

The  two  brothers  started.  They  came  down  at 
Sonomyai,  looked  around,  and  said, — 

"  This  must  be  the  place  of  which  Olelbis  told  us. 
This  must  be  the  place  where  we  are  to  work  :  we 
will  begin  here." 

"  My  brother,"  said  the  elder  Hus,  "  I  will  bring 
stones  to  you  ;  plenty  of  them  ;  big  stones.  You 
will  put  them  together,  —  lay  them  in  order  and 
make  the  walls." 

They  began  to  work.  On  the  first  day  they 
piled  the  road  up  as  high  as  a  big  house.  Next 
day  they  piled  all  day ;  made  the  road  as  high 
as  a  tall  tree.  The  third  day  it  was  very  high; 
the  fourth  still  higher.  It  was  rising  very  fast.  The 
brothers  worked  well,  and  had  great  power.  The 
building  was  already  the  largest  ever  seen  on  this 
earth.  On  the  fifth  day  the  top  could  hardly  be 
seen.  On  the  sixth  day  it  was  touching  the  clouds. 

A  little  before  noon  of  the  sixth  day  the  two 
brothers  saw  something  moving  from  the  south 
west.  When  it  came  near  they  saw  a  man  with 
mempak  around  his  neck.  He  wore  an  otter-skin 
headband,  an  otter-skin  quiver,  and  a  Sedit  skin, 
which  he  wore  like  a  coat.  He  had  on  buckskin 


1 66      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

leggings  ornamented  with  kobalus,  and  his  shirt  was 
stuck  full  of  kobalus,  the  sharp  end  of  the  shell  out. 
He  was  dressed  beautifully.  When  this  man  had 
come  near,  he  watched  the  two  brothers  at  work. 
They  did  not  speak  to  him. 

This  was  Sedit.     At  last  he  said,  — 

"  My  grandsons,  stop  work ;  rest  awhile ;  come 
and  tell  me  what  you  are  doing.  Come  and  sit 
awhile  here  with  me,  and  we  will  talk.  When  an 
uncle  or  a  grandfather  comes,  people  always  stop 
work  and  talk  with  their  relative." 

The  brothers  made  no  answer  ;  kept  on  at  their 
work;  paid  no  heed  to  Sedit. 

"  Grandsons,"  said  he  again,  cc  stop  awhile ;  come 
and  talk  with  me ;  tell  me  what  you  are  doing.  I 
want  to  learn,  come  and  tell  me  what  you  know ; 
rest  awhile.  I  might  tell  you  something  better 
than  what  you  know.  Perhaps  you  think,  grandsons, 
that  I  don't  know  anything.  Come  and  sit  down 
and  I  will  tell  you  something  wise.  If  you  don't 
come,  I  will  spoil  your  work.  I  will  destroy  what 
you  are  doing." 

When  the  two  brothers  heard  this,  they  were 
frightened  ;  they  thought  that  he  might  injure  their 
work,  and  they  came.  When  they  reached  the 
ground  and  walked  up  to  Sedit,  they  asked,  — 

"  Which  way  did  you  come,  grandfather  ?  Where 
do  you  live  ?  " 

"  My  grandsons,"  said  Sedit,  "  I  came  from  a 
place  not  very  far  from  this.  I  was  walking  around 
to  see  if  I  could  see  something.  I  heard  people 
talking  last  night  about  you.  They  said  that  you 


Sedit  and  the  Two  Brothers  Hus 

were  making  a  road,  and  I  thought  that  I  would 
come  here  to  look  at  your  work,  and  talk  to  you/' 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  brothers.  "  This  work 
which  we  are  doing  is  not  for  us.  It  is  for  others. 
Perhaps  you  think  this  work  is  for  us  ;  it  is  not, 
it  is  done  at  command  of  another.  This  work 
is  for  Olelbis.  Olelbis  sent  us  down  here  to  make 
this  great  road." 

"  What !  "  cried  Sedit,  "  are  you  working  for 
Olelbis  ?  Did  he  send  you  down  here  to  do  this  ? 
Did  he  tell  you  to  make  this  road,  and  have  you 
come  here  to  make  it  for  him,  my  grandsons  ?  Do 
you  believe  what  Olelbis  says  to  you  ?  Do  you 
believe  what  he  says  to  other  people  ?  Do  you 
mind  him  and  work  for  him  ?  I  don't  believe  in 
Olelbis.  I  don't  believe  what  he  says,  I  don't  care 
for  what  he  says." 

"  My  grandfather,"  said  the  elder  Hus,  "  hold 
on,  stop  talking.  I  don't  like  to  hear  you  say 
such  words,  I  don't  like  to  hear  you  talk  in  that  way. 
I  am  going  to  tell  you  why  all  this  work  is  done,  why 
this  road  is  made.  I  have  told  you  nothing." 

Sedit  sat  down  and  said  :  "  Well,  tell  me.  I  am 
glad  to  hear  what  you  say.  I  am  glad  to  hear  why 
you  are  making  this  road." 

The  elder  brother  began  :  "  Olelbis  says  that  a 
new  people  will  come  on  this  earth  soon,  that  they 
will  live  and  go  around,  and  after  a  while  they  will 
grow  old.  When  very  old,  they  will  come  to  this 
road  to  go  to  Olelpanti  and  be  young  again.  When 
half-way  up,  it  will  be  evening.  They  will  drink 
water  from  a  spring  and  pass  the  night  there.  Next 


1 68      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

day  they  will  go  on,  and  be  at  the  end  of  the  road 
in  the  evening,  —  they  will  be  in  Olelpanti,  where 
Olelbis  lives.  They  will  find  water  there.  They 
will  drink  from  one  spring  and  bathe  in  the  water 
of  another.  When  they  come  out,  they  will  be 
young.  Next  day  they  will  come  down  half-way, 
drink  of  the  water,  stay  one  night,  then  come  to  the 
earth,  and  be  young  and  fresh  as  they  were  at  first. 

"  No  man  will  have  a  wife,  no  woman  a  husband. 
They  will  be  to  one  another  as  brothers  and  sisters. 
That  is  what  Olelbis  wishes,  and  because  he  wishes 
it  he  has  sent  us  to  make  this  road.  When  the  road 
is  built  to  Olelpanti,  where  Olelbis  lives,  these  trees 
around  here,  which  are  small  now,  will  be  large. 
They  will  grow  up  and  be  very  tall.  They  will 
have  no  limbs  except  those  near  the  top,  where 
branches  will  run  out.  On  those  branches  acorns 
will  come,  and  the  acorns  will  have  no  shells  on 
them.  They  will  be  all  ready  and  fit  to  eat.  The 
people  who  are  to  come  out  of  the  earth  will  not  be 
able  to  climb  these  trees,  and  they  will  have  no  need 
to  climb,  for  the  acorns  will  fall,  and  the  people 
will  pick  them  up  and  have  plenty  of  food  without 
work,  without  trouble." 

Sedit  listened  and  looked  at  the  elder  Hus 
brother.  Then  he  turned  to  the  younger  Hus 
and  said  sneeringly,  — 

"  Hu  !  Do  you  believe  all  that  ?  Do  you  think 
that  every  word  is  true  which  Olelbis  says?  Do 
you  think  it  is  wise  ?  Do  you  think  it  is  good  ? 
Now,  my  grandsons,  you  wait  awhile,  and  I  will  tell 
you  something.  You  ought  to  know  that  an  old 


Sedit  and  the  Two  Brothers  Hus       16^ 

man  like  me  has  words  to  speak,  —  that  he  knows 
something  wise.  I  have  something  to  tell  you 
which  is  better  than  all  this.  I  will  tell  you  what  it 
is.  I  will  tell  you  now.  Suppose  an  old  man  goes 
up  this  road  all  alone,  drinks  from  one  spring, 
bathes  in  the  other,  and  comes  down  young.  He 
will  be  all  alone  just  as  he  was  when  he  went  up." 

Suppose  an  old  woman  and  an  old  man  go  up, 
go  al^ne,  one  after  the  other,  and  come  back  alone, 
young.  They  will  be  alone  as  before,  and  will  grow 
old  a  second  time,  and  go  up  again  and  come  back 
young,  but  they  will  be  alone,  just  the  same  as  at  first. 
They  will  have  nothing  on  earth  to  be  glad  about. 
They  will  never  have  any  friends,  any  children  ;  they 
will  never  have  any  fun  in  the  world  ;  they  will  never 
have  anything  to  do  but  to  go  up  this  road  old  and 
come  back  down  young  again. 

"  Now,  my  grandsons,  I  will  tell  you  something 
better,  and  you  will  like  what  I  tell  you.  I  like  it 
because  it  is  good.  I  am  going  to  say  something 
wiser  than  anything  Olelbis  has  told  you  yet.  It 
will  be  better,  very  much  better  if  trees  have  limbs 
to  the  ground,  and  if  acorns  have  husks  and  shells  on 
them.  When  trees  have  limbs  to  the  ground,  a  man 
can  climb  them,  take  a  long  stick  in  his  hand,  and 
knock  acorns  to  the  ground.  Others  will  come 
under  the  tree  and  gather  them.  When  the  acorns 
fall,  women  will  jump  and  say,  c  Oh  !  oh  ! '  and  laugh 
and  talk  and  be  glad  and  feel  well.  I  think  that  is 
better.  People  can  take  the  acorns  home  and  put 
them  on  the  ground.  Then  they  will  say,  c  Come,  let 
us  husk  these  acorns/  Men  and  women  will  go 


1 70      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

and  sit  down  and  husk  the  acorns.  When  they  are 
doing  this,  they  will  throw  husks  back  and  forth  at 
each  other.  They  will  have  fun  and  laugh  and  be 
pleased  and  feel  well.  I  think  that  this  is  better  ;  I 
know  that  you  will  like  it. 

"  Besides,  what  are  people  to  eat  if  nothing  dies  ? 
Deer  will  not  die,  fish  will  not  die ;  the  coming 
people  cannot  kill  them.  What  are  they  to  eat  ? 
They  will  have  nothing  to  eat  except  acorns. 

"  I  think  it  is  better  for  women  and  men  — 
young  men  and  young  women  —  to  marry,  live 
day  and  night  with  each  other.  When  they  get  up  in 
the  morning,  the  man  will  work  for  the  woman,  the 
woman  will  work  for  the  man,  and  they  will  help 
each  other.  I  think  that  the  better  way.  If  a  man 
has  a  wife,  he  will  catch  fish  and  kill  deer,  he  will 
bring  them  in,  and  give  them  to  his  wife  to  cook.  She 
will  cook  them,  and  both  will  eat.  I  think  that  is 
the  right  way.  If  people  live  in  this  manner,  and 
a  woman  has  a  child,  her  neighbors  will  say,  c  There 
is  a  nice  baby  over  there/  and  they  will  go  to  see  it, 
and  will  say,  c  What  a  nice  baby  that  woman  has  ! ' 
I  think  this  is  better  than  anything  Olelbis  told  you. 

"When  that  baby  grows  up  and  another  baby 
grows  up,  they  will  be  a  man  and  a  woman,  and  the 
two  will  get  married  and  have  children  themselves, 
'and  in  that  way  there  will  be  plenty  of  people  always  ; 
new  people,  young  people.  When  a  man  grows  old, 
he  will  die  ;  when  a  woman  grows  old,  she  will  die. 
When  they  die,  others  will  go  around  and  tell  their 
neighbors  about  it,  and  say,  £  A  woman  died  over 
there/  or  ( A  man  died  over  here.  They  will  bury 


Sedit  and  the  Two  Brothers  Hus       171 

him  to-morrow/  Then  all  the  people  will  make 
ready  tp  help  the  relatives  of  the  dead  man  ;  they 
will  cry,  the  dead  man's  relatives  will  cry  and 
mourn.  I  think  this  is  better.  When  a  man  dies, 
his  nearest  relatives  will  cut  their  hair  very  close, 
paint  the  face  black ;  and  when  people  see  one  of 
them  coming  or  going,  they  will  say,  (  His  father  is 
dead,'  or  c  His  wife  is  dead,'  or  c  His  mother  is 
dead,'  and  they  will  talk  about  that  man  and  his 
dead  father,  or  dead  mother,  or  dead  wife,  and  say, 
c  Poor  man,  he  has  lost  his  father,  or  his  mother,  or 
his  wife.'  I  think  this  is  better. 

"  When  an  old  woman  dies,  she  will  leave  a 
daughter,  and  that  daughter  will  have  a  daughter, 
or  an  old  man  dies,  he  will  leave  a  son,  and  that  son 
will  have  a  son.  As  men  and  women  grow  old, 
they  will  die,  and  their  places  will  be  taken  by  young 
people,  I  think  this  is  the  right  way.  I  think  this 
is  the  best  way.  All  living  things  should  go  this 
way,  —  all  should  grow  old  and  then  die.  When 
the  new  people  come  on  this  earth,  they  ought  to  go 
this  way.  When  those  people  come  and  live  all 
around  on  this  earth,  they  will  die  in  many  ways,  — 
they  will  fight  with  each  other  and  die ;  when  trees 
grow  old,  they  will  die  and  fall  down ;  everything 
will  die  in  like  manner. 

"  When  a  man  dies,  his  friends  will  put  mempak 
on  him,  like  this  which  I  have  around  my  neck, 
and  an  otter-skin  band  around  his  head,  and  give 
him  a  quiver,  dress  him,  and  then  put  him  in  the 
ground.  When  a  man  goes  to  some  place,  a  grizzly 
bear  may  catch  and  kill  him,  or  a  rattlesnake  will 


172     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

bite  and  kill  him,  and  when  people  fight  they  will 
use  flint  and  kill  one  another.  People  will  get 
angry  and  fight.  When  there  is  a  gathering, 
somebody  will  come  running  in  and  say,  c  People 
over  there  are  fighting.'  Those  inside  will  hurry 
to  see,  and  will  find  a  man  killed,  and  say,  (  A 
good  man  is  killed ; '  then  they  will  punish  the 
others  for  killing  him." 

The  two  brothers  sat  there,  made  no  answer. 

"  Well,  my  grandsons,"  continued  Sedit,  "  I  know 
that  what  I  tell  you  is  right.  What  do  you 
think  ?  " 

The  brothers  said  nothing  at  first.  They  thought 
and  thought.  After  a  while  the  elder  looked  at 
Sedit  and  said,  — 

"  I  think  what  you  say  is  better.  I  think  that 
it  is  right.  I  suppose  it  is  true.  I  believe  that 
you  are  old  enough  and  ought  to  know.  I  think 
that  you  are  right." 

"  Grandfather,"  said  the  younger  brother,  "would 
you  like  to  die,  too,  the  same  as  others,  and  be 
lying  in  the  ground  and  not  rise  any  more  ;  never 
go  around  with  an  otter-skin  band  on  your  head, 
and  a  beautiful  quiver  at  your  back,  and  fine  things 
such  as  you  are  wearing  to-day  ?  You  want  others 
to  die  ;  you  want  death  in  the  world.  What  would 
you  say  if  you  had  to  die  yourself?  You  want  all 
the  coming  people  to  die,  and  all  living  things  here 
after  to  die  and  be  gone  from  here.  Olelbis  does 
not  want  any  one  to  die,  but  you  want  all  living 
things  on  this  earth  to  die.  You  want  to  spoil  all 
the  work  which  Olelbis  sent  us  down  here  to  do." 


Sedit  and  the  Two  Brothers  Hus       173 

When  the  younger  brother  said  this,  the  two  stood 
up  and  walked  off  a  little  way,  and  Sedit  said,  — 

"  My  grandsons,  come  back,  come  back.  We 
have  not  finished  talking  yet.  We  must  talk 
more.  We  will  talk  this  all  over  again.  Come 
back,  my  grandsons,  come  back." 

But  the  two  brothers  did  not  turn  back ;  they 
walked  on,  walked  toward  the  east  always  —  said 
nothing.  After  a  time  they  turned  and  went  to 
where  their  road  was.  They  pulled  out  some  great 
stones,  and  the  whole  road  fell  to  the  ground. 

The  two  brothers  flew  up  then,  circling  around 
for  a  while.  They  went  higher  and  higher,  till  at 
last  they  disappeared  and  went  to  Olelpanti. 

Sedit  saw  them  fly  up,  watched  them  till  they 
disappeared.  He  stood  looking  around  for  a  long 
time.  At  last  he  said,  — 

"  What  am  I  to  do  now  ?  I  wish  I  had  not  said 
all  that,  I  wish  I  had  not  said  so  much.  I  wish  I 
had  not  said  anything." 

He  stood  around  there  and  kept  repeating:  "What 
am  I  to  do  now  ?  I  am  sorry.  Why  did  I  talk  so 
much  ?  Hus  asked  me  if  I  wanted  to  die.  He  said 
that  all  on  earth  here  will  have  to  die  now.  That 
is  what  Hus  said.  I  don't  know  what  to  do. 
What  can  I  do  ?  " 

He  looked  around  and  found  a  plant  with  long, 
broad  leaves,  the  wild  sunflower.  He  found  this 
plant  in  great  plenty,  and  took  many  leaves  from  it. 
He  pulled  off  all  his  fine  clothes,  threw  them  aside, 
then  stuck  the  leaves  into  his  body,  all  the  way  up 
and  down  his  legs,  body,  and  arms,  and  said,  — 


1 74      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  Now  I  will  go  up  to  Olelpanti.  I  am  not 
going  to  stay  down  here  where  people  die.  I  am 
going  up  to  the  place  where  the  Hus  brothers 
went." 

He  made  a  tail  of  leaves ;  then  he  rose  and  flew 
around  and  around,  rose  pretty  high  ;  the  leaves 
began  to  get  dry  and  break  one  after  another. 
After  awhile  Sedit,  whirling  round  and  round,  came 
down  with  great  force,  struck  the  ground,  and  was 
crushed  to  pieces. 

The  Hus  brothers  went  up  to  Olelpanti.  Olel- 
bis  said, — 

"  There  are  rocks  at  the  south  not  far  from  the 
sweat-house ;  go  there  and  stay." 

Olelbis  looked  down,  and  saw  Sedit  trying  to  fly 
to  Olelpanti ;  he  saw  him  fall. 

"  It  is  his  own  fault,"  said  Olelbis.  "  Sedit  is 
the  first  to  die,  killed  by  his  own  words;  hereafter 
all  his  people  will  fall  around  and  die  and  be  found 
dead  at  roadsides  and  places  where  people  pass. 
The  people  to  come  will  see  them  there." 

The  name  of  the  place  where  the  ruined  road  was 
is  Sonomyai. 

OurWintu  people  say  that  ever  since  white  men 
settled  in  the  country  they  have  been  drawing  away 
the  stones  which  the  Hus  brothers  piled  up.  They 
have  taken  them  as  far  as  fifteen  miles  to  build 
chimneys. 


H  AWT 


HAWT 


PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  beast,  bird,  or  thing  into 
which  the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Chirchihas,  mountain  squirrel  (red)  ;  Handokmit,  striped  snake ; 
Hau,  red  fox;  Hawt,  eel;  Hus,  turkey  buzzard;  Kanhlalas,  weasel; 
Karkit,  raven  ;  Kinus,  wood  dove  ;  Kiriti,  loon  ;  Lutchi,  humming 
bird;  Memtulit,  otter;  Miirope,  bull  snake;  Nomhawena ;  Nop, 
deer;  Patkilis,  jack  rabbit;  Patit,  panther;  Sedit,  coyote;  Tichelis, 
ground  squirrel;  Tsaik,  bluejay ;  Tsararok,  kingfisher;  Tsaroki 
Sakahl,  brown-green  snake ;  Tsihl,  black  bear ;  Tsileu,  yellowham- 
mer ;  Tsudi,  mouse ;  Tunhlucha,  frog ;  Waida  Dikit,  Dolly  Varden 
trout ;  Waida  Werris,  Polar  star ;  Wai  Hau,  silver-gray  fox ;  Waiti, 
north  side  ;  Watwut,  mountain  bluejay ;  Wima,  grizzly  bear ;  Yipo- 
kos,  black  fox. 

ON  the  south  side  of  Bohem  Puyuk  is  a 
small  mountain  called  Tede  Puyuk.  Near 
that  small  mountain  lived  Waida  Dikit  Kiemila. 
He  lived  all  alone,  without  neighbors.  There  was 
no  house  near  his.  He  lived  long  in  that  place, 
thinking  what  was  best  for  him  to  do,  thinking, 
thinking.  After  a  great  while  he  thought:  "The 
best  thing  to  do  is  to  build  a  sweat-house." 

He  built  a  sweat-house  about  a  mile  west  of  the 
place  where  he  was  living.  When  he  had  finished, 
he  took  a  kind  of  red  earth  and  painted  the 
eastern  half  of  the  house  red  on  the  outside.  The 
western  half  he  painted  green  with  paint  made  from 
leaves  of  bushes.  After  he  had  painted  the  western 
half,  all  the  different  kinds  of  bushes  whose  leaves 


178      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

he  had  used  for  paint  grew  out  of  that  side  of  the 
sweat-house. 

The  sweat-house  was  ready  for  use  now,  and 
Waida  Dikit  went  to  see  a  man,  Tsaroki  Sakahl, 
who  lived  farther  south. 

"  My  grandson,"  said  Waida  Dikit,  "  I  wish  you 
would  come  up  and  stay  in  my  house.  I  have  no 
one  to  keep  me  company.  I  wish  you  would  come 
and  live  with  me." 

"  I  will  go  with  you,"  said  Tsaroki,  and  he 
went  to  live  with  the  old  man. 

Waida  Dikit  had  not  told  Tsaroki  of  the  sweat- 
house,  he  took  him  to  the  old  house.  After  two  or 
three  nights  Waida  Dikit  said,  — 

"  My  grandson,  what  shall  we  do  ?  What  would 
you  like  to  do  ?  What  will  be  best  for  us  ?  We 
must  talk  about  something.  There  should  be 
something  for  us  to  talk  about.  We  must  have 
something  to  say." 

"  Well,"  said  Tsaroki,  "  I  think  that  you  want 
what  is  best ;  you  want  to  see  somebody,  to  see 
something.  I  think  that  is  what  you  want.  I  think 
I  know  what  you  want.  The  best  way  to  get  what 
you  want  is  to  build  a  sweat-house." 

"  That  is  wise  talk,  my  grandson,  I  like  to  hear 
it.  I  have  a  sweat-house  built  —  all  finished." 

"  Where  is  it  ?  "  asked  Tsaroki. 

"  I  will  show  it  to  you  soon,"  answered  Waida 
Dikit. 

Putting  his  hand  behind  him,  he  picked  up  a 
small  basket,  took  out  yellow  paint  with  his  thumb 
and  forefinger,  and  drew  a  yellow  streak  from  Tsa- 


Hawt  1 79 

roki's  head  down  his  back.  The  young  man  had 
been  all  green  ;  now  there  was  yellow  on  his  back. 
Next  Waida  Dikit  took  a  net  woven  of  grass  fibre, 
like  a  woman's  hair  net,  and  put  it  on  Tsaroki's 
head.  "  You  are  ready  now,"  said  he.  Then  he 
led  him  out  of  the  house  and  said,  pointing  to 
the  west,  — 

"  Look  !  There  is  our  sweat-house.  Now,  my 
grandson,  I  am  going  to  take  you  to  that  house. 
The  east  side  is  painted  red.  When  we  are  there, 
don't  go  near  the  sweat-house  on  this  eastern 
side  ;  pass  by,  but  not  too  near,  a  little  way  off. 
When  we  go  in  I  will  take  the  eastern  half  and 
stay  in  it ;  you  will  take  the  other  half  and  stay 
on  the  western  side,  where  there  is  green  paint. 
That  is  where  you  are  to  lie,  on  the  green  side." 

They  started.  The  old  man  walked  ahead. 
When  they  went  in,  Waida  Dikit  took  the  eastern 
half  of  the  house  and  Tsaroki  the  western.  The 
young  man  sat  down,  and  then  Waida  Dikit  took  a 
pipe  which  was  in  the  sweat-house. 

"  My  grandson,"  said  he,  "  you  will  find  a  pipe 
right  there  on  your  side  of  the  house  and  a  sack 
of  tobacco.  You  may  smoke  if  you  wish." 

Tsaroki  took  the  pipe,  looked  at  it,  liked  it  well. 
This  pipe  was  from  Wai  Hola  Puyuk.  When  he 
drew  in  the  smoke  and  puffed  out  the  first  whiff,  the 
whole  house  was  filled  so  that  nothing  was  seen  in 
it.  Waida  Dikit  put  his  head  outside  the  door. 
There  was  smoke  outside  everywhere.  He  could 
see  nothing.  Then  he  turned  back  and  said,  — 

"  My  grandson,  you  are  a  good  man.     You  are  a 


180      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

strong  man.  You  smoke  well.  This  will  do  for 
the  first  time.  —  If  he  does  that  again,"  thought  the 
old  man,  "  there  will  be  nothing  seen  in  this  world ; 
all  will  be  covered  with  smoke ;  "  and  he  said,  "  You 
are  a  strong  man  ;  that  is  enough  for  this  time." 

"  I  should  like  to  know  why  he  says,  c  That  is 
enough/  What  does  he  want  to  do  with  me?" 
thought  Tsaroki.  "  Maybe  he  is  trying  me  in 
some  way." 

"  My  grandson,"  said  the  old  man,  after  a  while, 
"  I  should  like  to  see  somebody ;  I  should  like  to 
see  something,  see  people  ;  I  should  like  to  have  fun 
and  see  games  of  some  sort." 

"  I  should  like  to  see  them  too,"  answered  Tsaroki; 
"  I  should  like  to  see  them,  my  grandfather.  You 
are  older  than  I ;  if  you  tell  me  what  to  do,  I  will 
do  it." 

"  My  grandson,  can  you  play  on  anything  ?  " 

"  I  should  like  to  play  if  you  would  teach  me," 
said  Tsaroki. 

The  old  man  put  his  hand  behind  him  into  a  basket 
of  things,  drew  out  a  flute  and  gave  it  to  Tsaroki, 
who  took  it  quickly,  he  was  so  glad.  He  sat  down, 
crossed  his  legs,  and  before  he  had  blown  into  the 
flute,  just  as  he  touched  his  lips  with  it,  beautiful 
sounds  came  out. 

The  young  man  was  glad,  wonderfully  glad.  The 
old  man,  who  sat  looking  at  him,  asked,  — 

"  How  do  you  like  the  flute,  my  grandson  ?  " 

cc  I  like  it  well,"  said  Tsaroki. 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  play,  my  grandson  ;  I  am 
glad  when  you  do  something  good.  When  I  was 


Hawt  1 8 1 

young,  I  used  to  say  good  things,  I  used  to  do  good 
things.  Now,  my  grandson,  think  what  you  would 
like  best  to  do." 

"  I  should  like  to  hear  something  nice,  to  hear 
music,  to  hear  beautiful  sounds." 

After  he  had  taken  the  flute  Tsaroki  did  not 
sleep ;  he  played  for  three  days  and  three  nights 
without  stopping ;  then  he  stopped  and  asked,  — 

"  What  is  this  flute  ?  What  is  it  made  of?  It 
sounds  so  sweetly." 

"  My  grandson,  I  will  tell  you  ;  that  flute  is  of 
wood,  —  alder  wood.  That  is  an  alder  flute,  but 
the  wood  is  people's  bones.  There  were  people 
long  ago,  and  that  alder  wood  grew  out  of  their 
bones.  My  grandson,  would  you  like  to  have  an 
other  young  man  with  you,  or  do  you  wish  to  be 
alone  ?  I  think  it  would  be  better  for  you  to  have 
company." 

"  ^7  grandfather,  I  should  like  to  have  another 
man  with  me  ;  I  could  talk  with  him.  I  could  live 
then  more  pleasantly." 

"  My  grandson,  to  see  another  young  man  you 
must  go  to  the  west ;  you  must  go  in  the  middle  of 
the  night,  when  it  is  very  dark,  so  that  no  one  may 
see  you.  My  grandson,  it  is  better  for  you  to  go 
to-night." 

"  Where  ?  Which  way  do  you  want  me  to  go, 
my  grandfather  ?  " 

"  Go  west  from  here,  far  away ;  you  will  start 
when  it  is  dark;  you  will  get  there  in  the  dark. 
You  will  go  to  where  the  old  woman  Nomhawena 
Pokaila  lives  :  she  is  your  grandmother.  When  you 


1 82      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

go  to  her  house,  ask  her  about  your  brother  ;  she  will 
tell  you  where  he  is." 

"  My  grandfather,  I  don't  believe  that  I  can  find 
her  house.  I  don't  know  what  kind  of  house  it  is." 

"  You  cannot  miss  it,  my  grandson.  The  night 
will  be  very  dark ;  no  one  will  be  able  to  see  any 
thing,  but  you  cannot  miss  the  house.  It  is  a  little 
house ;  no  one  can  see  it,  but  you  cannot  miss  it. 
You  will  go  there  very  quickly,  though  't  is  far  from 
here  and  the  night  is  dark." 

Then  the  old  man  showed  him  a  small  sand  trail ; 
it  was  bright,  just  like  a  ray  of  light  in  the  darkness, 
though  it  was  very  narrow,  as  narrow  as  a  hair,  and 
all  around  it  was  dark  night.  The  old  man  had 
made  this  trail  purposely. 

Tsaroki  started,  and  could  see  the  trail  straight 
ahead  of  him  ;  he  went  over  it  as  swiftly  as  an  arrow 
goes  from  a  bow.  He  travelled  right  on,  and  at  the 
end  of  the  trail,  just  on  the  trail  itself,  was  a  little  bark 
house.  He  went  into  this  house,  and  saw  an  old 
woman  lying  there  with  her  back  to  the  fire ;  she 
was  sleeping  on  the  south  side  of  it.  He  walked 
in  and  stood  at  the  north  side.  He  sat  down 
then,  and  was  sitting  a  while  when  the  old  woman 
woke,  turned  her  face  to  the  fire,  and  saw  some  one 
opposite.  She  rose,  stirred  the  fire  to  make  light, 
looked  at  the  young  man,  and  said,  — 

"  I  see  some  person  over  there ;  who  is  it  ?  " 

"  My  grandmother,  I  am  Tsaroki  Sakahl.  I  have 
come  because  my  grandfather,  Waida  Dikit,  sent  me 
to  see  you,  so  that  you  might  tell  me  about  my 
brother.  I  should  like  to  know  where  my  brother 


Hawt  183 

lives.     I  have  come  to  see  my  brother  and  speak  to 
him." 

"Very  well,  my  grandson,  I  will  tell  you.  He 
lives  right  over  here  on  the  west." 

As  soon  as  she  had  finished  speaking,  Tsaroki 
stood  up  and  went  toward  the  west.  He  had  not 
made  many  steps  when  he  saw  a  large  space,  a 
broad  space  on  which  a  great  many  people  were  sit 
ting.  The  place  was  dark,  but  the  people  could  see 
one  another.  Tsaroki  saw  all,  and  looked  around 
carefully.  He  saw  that  all  were  at  work  except  one 
man,  who  was  sitting  in  the  middle  in  a  good  place. 
He  looked  a  long  time,  not  knowing  what  to  do, 
for  Waida  Dikit  had  said  to  him, — 

"  You  must  not  let  any  one  know  but  your 
brother  why  I  sent  you,  and  tell  him  not  to  tell 
others." 

No  one  present  saw  Tsaroki,  and  he  thought : 
"  I  don't  know  how  I  shall  go  to  my  brother  with 
out  letting  any  one  know."  At  last  he  made  up 
his  mind  what  to  do.  He  went  down  under  the 
ground  where  he  had  been  sitting,  and  came  up  just 
in  front  of  the  great  man,  his  brother. 

The  people  were  dressing  skins,  making  arrow- 
points,  and  finishing  arrows.  All  were  at  work  but 
the  man  in  the  middle.  Tsaroki  came  up  in  front 
of  him  and  whispered,  — 

"  My  brother,  I  have  come  for  you.  My 
grandfather  sent  me  to  ask  you  to  go  to  him  and 
not  to  tell  any  one." 

"That  is  well.     I  will  go.      Let  us  start." 

That  was  all  he  said.     This  big  man  was  Hawt. 


184     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Tsaroki  had  brought  his  flute,  but  he  could  not  use 
it,  for  he  had  to  keep  his  journey  secret  and  not  let 
himself  be  seen ;  he  held  the  flute  hidden  under  his 
arm. 

"  Let  us  go,"  said  Hawt ;  "  you  go  ahead." 

Tsaroki  went  into  the  ground,  came  out  where  he 
had  been  sitting  at  first,  and  then  went  to  the  house 
of  the  old  woman,  his  grandmother.  Hawt  stood 
up  to  make  ready  for  the  journey.  The  people 
kept  on  working.  They  were  all  of  the  Hawt 
people,  and  the  big  man  was  their  chief. 

Hawt  dressed,  and  took  his  bow  and  arrows. 
When  ready,  he  turned  and  said, — 

"  My  people,  I  am  going  to  leave  you,  to  be  gone 
two  or  three  days,  perhaps  longer/' 

That  was  all  he  said  ;  he  did  not  say  where  he 
was  going,  nor  why.  He  walked  away  and  went  to 
Nomhawena's  house,  where  Tsaroki  was  waiting. 
The  two  brothers  had  been  sitting  just  a  little 
while  when  the  old  woman  said  to  them,  — 

"  Now,  my  grandsons,  you  must  go  ;  you  must 
be  at  Waida  Dikit's  before  daylight ;  you  must 
travel  while  it  is  dark,  we  do  not  wish  to  let  other 
people  know  of  your  journey.  Go.  I  shall  be  in 
this  house,  but  shall  hear  all  that  is  happening  at 
your  place." 

They  left  the  old  woman,  and  reached  Waida 
Dikit's  before  daylight.  The  old  man  was  up 
already,  and  standing  by  the  fire  in  the  middle 
of  the  sweat-house  combing  his  red  hair,  which 
touched  his  feet.  The  moment  he  went  into  the 
house  Tsaroki  took  his  flute,  lay  on  his  back,  and 


Hawt  185 


began  to  play.  Hawt  stood  a  while  ;  did  n't  know 
where  to  sit.  At  last  Waida  Dikit  said  to  him,  — 

"  My  grandson,  I  am  living  here  in  a  small  house. 
There  is  n't  much  room  in  it,  but  go  north  of  the 
fire  and  sit  there." 

Just  as  Hawt  was  sitting  down  at  the  appointed 
side,  daylight  came.  Tsaroki  played  two  nights  and 
two  days.  Hawt  lay  in  his  place  and  listened. 

"  My  grandson,"  said  Waida  Dikit  to  Tsaroki, 
"  I  should  like  to  hear  you  both  play.  You  must 
give  that  flute  to  Hawt  some  of  the  time." 

Tsaroki  gave  the  flute  to  his  brother,  and  from 
time  to  time  they  passed  it  from  one  to  the  other. 
Both  played  ;  both  made  beautiful  music.  They 
played  day  after  day,  night  after  night,  ten  days  and 
ten  nights. 

"  You  play  well  now,  both  of  you,  my  grandsons. 
Would  you  not  like  to  hear  other  persons  play  ?  ': 

"  Oh,  we  should  like  that  very  much  ;  we  should 
like  to  hear  other  persons  play,"  said  Tsaroki  and 
Hawt. 

"  I  used  to  hear  a  friend  of  mine  long  ago,"  said 
Waida  Dikit,  "  and  he  played  very  well.  Would 
you  like  to  have  him  play  with  you  ?  " 

"Yes,  yes;  maybe  he  would  teach  us  to  play 
better." 

"  My  friend  is  very  old  now,"  said  Waida  Dikit : 
"  he  is  Kanhlalas  Kiemila." 

"  I  will  go  and  bring  him,"  said  Tsaroki. 

"  Go,  my  grandson.  I  will  show  you  a  trail,  but 
do  not  go  near  the  east  side  of  my  sweat-house.  It 
is  not  far.  Kanhlalas  lives  northeast  from  here." 


1 86      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Tsaroki  found  Kanhlalas's  sweat-house  on  the 
trail.  He  heard  music  inside,  beautiful  music.  He 
stood  awhile  listening,  then  went  in  and  saw  an  old 
man  lying  on  his  back  playing.  The  old  man 
stopped  playing,  but  did  not  speak.  Tsaroki  touched 
him  on  the  shoulder  and  said,  — 

"  My  grandfather,  I  have  come  for  you.  Waida 
Dikit,  my  grandfather,  sent  me  to  ask  you  to  visit 
him." 

"  I  will  go,"  was  all  that  the  old  man  said.  No 
questions  were  asked  or  answered.  "  I  have  come 
for  you,"  "  I  will  go ; "  no  more.  Those  people  of 
long  ago  talked  in  that  way  ;  they  did  n't  talk  much. 

Tsaroki  went  home.  Kanhlalas  made  ready  to  go, 
and  went  under  the  ground.  Waida  Dikit  was 
lying  in  his  house  when  on  a  sudden  Kanhlalas  rose 
at  his  feet.  Waida  Dikit  sat  up  when  he  saw  him, 
took  a  pipe,  and  told  him  to  smoke.  Kanhlalas 
smoked,  and  the  two  old  men  talked  a  good  while. 
The  young  men  played,  first  one,  then  the  other. 
It  was  dark  in  the  sweat-house,  but  after  Kanhlalas 
came  he  shone  and  gave  light  like  a  torch  in  a  dark 
house.  You  could  see  some,  but  not  very  much. 
Kanhlalas  was  a  grandfather  of  Waida  Werris. 

"  I  sent  for  you,"  said  Waida  Dikit,  "for  I  thought 
you  might  teach  my  grandsons  to  play  better.  They 
like  to  make  music.  They  think  of  nothing  else." 

"  I  am  old,"  said  Kanhlalas.  "  I  am  not  as  I 
used  to  be.  I  cannot  play  much  now.  When 
I  was  a  boy,  when  I  was  young,  I  could  play. 
But  I  will  play  a  little." 

About  dark  he  said  a  second  time,  "  I  will  play  a 


Hawt  187 

little."  So  he  lay  on  his  back,  took  his  own  flute, 
which  he  had  brought  with  him,  and  began.  The 
two  brothers  lay  and  listened.  Kanhlalas  never 
took  the  flute  out  of  his  mouth  from  the  dark 
of  evening  until  daylight.  Next  day  he  played, 
and  all  night  again.  When  morning  came  there 
was  a  light  stripe  down  his  breast,  and  when  the 
sun  rose  his  breast  was  white,  for  the  breath 
was  nearly  out  of  his  body.  That  morning  old 
Waida  Dikit  said, — 

"  Now  we  will  invite  all  people  in  the  world  who 
can  play,  to  come  here." 

"If  you  invite  all  people  in  the  world  who  can 
play,"  said  Tsaroki,  "  this  house  will  be  too  small 
for  them." 

"No,"  said  the  old  man,  "it  will  not  be  too 
small.  You  will  find  it  large  enough  when  they 
come." 

Tsaroki  was  sent  to  the  northwest  to  invite 
people.  He  went  very  fast.  In  a  little  while 
he  was  at  a  place  just  this  side  of  where  the 
sky  touches  the  earth.  He  went  to  Nop  Hlut. 
When  near  the  sweat-house  he  heard  stamping  in  a 
dance.  He  went  in  and  saw  a  very  big  house  full 
of  people  sitting  around  at  the  wall.  Only  one 
woman  and  a  young  girl  were  dancing  in  the 
middle  of  the  house,  Nop  Pokte  and  Nop  Loimis. 
The  girl  was  very  small,  and  had  fawn's  feet  tied 
behind  her  head.  These  rattled  so  sharply  that 
you  could  hear  them  when  far  away.  As  Tsaroki 
was  coming  in  through  the  door  on  the  south, 
he  saw  an  old  man  lying  on  the  north  side.  This 


1 8  8      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

was  Nop  Kiemila,  the  master  of  the  house.  Tsaroki 
went  straight  to  him,  put  his  hand  on  his  shoulder, 
and  said, — 

"  I  have  come  for  you." 

"  What  kind  of  call  do  you  make  ?  "  asked  Nop. 

"  My  grandfather  is  going  to  have  a  playing  on 
flutes." 

tc  I  will  go,"  said  Nop. 

"  My  grandfather  is  inviting  people  from  all  parts 
of  the  world.  All  will  be  invited  who  can  play  on 
the  flute." 

Waida  Dikit  himself  went  south  to  invite  peo 
ple  living  in  the  water,  and  sent  Tsaroki  to  invite 
all  the  land  people.  They  went  far  and  near  to 
invite  all.  After  a  time  both  grew  wearied,  and 
wanted  to  get  some  one  to  take  invitations.  They 
thought  who  would  be  best  in  heat  and  cold,  light 
and  darkness,  and  thought  that  Kinus  would  be ; 
so  they  called  him,  and  hired  him  to  go. 

Kinus  went  as  far  as  he  could  go,  went  around 
the  whole  world  to  a  distance  a  little  this  side  of 
where  the  sky  comes  down.  After  a  time  he  re 
turned  and  said, — 

"  This  world  is  wide  and  big.  I  called  all  the 
people  as  far  as  I  went,  but  I  was  not  able  to  go 
everywhere,  —  this  world  goes  farther  than  I  went. 
Whole  days  I  could  get  no  water,  no  food ;  but  I 
invited  all  the  people  that  I  saw." 

Now,  while  Kinus  was  speaking  the  invited 
people  were  listening ;  and  there  were  many  of  them 
then  at  Waida  Dikit's.  Lutchi  sat  at  one  side  and 
listened. 


Hawt  189 

"  There  is,"  said  Waida  Dikit,  "  a  man  that  we 
should  like  to  see  here.  Waida  Werris  and  also  a 
man  who  lives  far  in  the  East,  Patkilis ;  he  lives 
behind  the  sky,  beyond  the  place  where  the  sky 
touches  the  earth,  and  Sedit  lives  with  him.  We 
want  these  three.  Now  Kinus  cannot  go  to  them, 
—  nobody  that  we  know  is  able  to  go  to  them. 
What  shall  we  do?" 

All  talked  about  this.  Lutchi  sat  back  in  silence, 
and  listened  to  what  they  were  saying. 

"  This  sweat-house  is  too  small,"  said  Kanhlalas. 

"  You  will  see,"  answered  Waida  Dikit. 

The  sweat-house  was  spreading  out,  growing 
gradually,  growing  all  the  time  as  the  people  came. 
A  great  many  came  that  afternoon.  The  house  ex 
tended  now  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see.  Whenever 
new  people  came,  Waida  Dikit  would  blow  and  say, 
"  I  wish  this  house  to  be  larger  !  "  And  the  house 
stretched,  became  wider  and  longer  and  higher.  In 
the  evening  great  crowds  were  there  already. 

Kinus  and  the  rest  talked  all  night  and  the  next 
day.  "  Nobody  can  go  to  Waida  Werris,  Patkilis, 
and  Sedit.  That  was  what  they  said." 

They  asked  all  present,  and  each  answered,  "I 
cannot  go  to  them."  They  talked  and  talked.  At 
last  one  man  said  to  another,  "Let's  ask  that 
Lutchi  Herit  over  there ;  maybe  he  can  go."  A 
third  said,  "Yes,  let's  ask  him."  And  the  three 
said  to  Waida  Dikit,  "  Ask  that  little  man ;  perhaps 
he  can  go."  "  He  is  small,"  said  Waida  Dikit,  "but 
I  will  ask  him."  He  went  up  to  Lutchi,  touched 
him  on  the  shoulder,  and  asked,  — 


190      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  My  grandson,  can  you  do  something  for  me  ? 
You  are  small,  but  I  am  asking  you." 

Lutchi  said  nothing;  just  raised  his  brows,  which 
meant  "  Yes."  As  soon  as  he  did  this,  Waida  Dikit 
put  his  hand  under  his  arm  and  took  out  a  kunluli 
(a  delicate  blue  flower  that  grows  near  the  water), 
and  gave  it  to  Lutchi.  Lutchi  took  it  in  his  open 
palm,  looked  at  it,  rubbed  it  between  his  two  hands, 
spat  on  it,  and  made  a  paste  which  was  a  beautiful 
blue  paint.  Then  he  rubbed  his  face,  arms,  breast 
—  he  became  blue  all  over  (to  this  day  Lutchi  is 
blue,  he  was  white  before).  He  went  out  among 
the  people  then,  and  said, — 

"  People,  look  at  me  !  What  do  I  look  like  ? 
Haven't  I  a  nice  color  now?" 

"You  are  beautiful,"  said  the  people.  "You 
look  well." 

It  was  at  the  point  of  daybreak.  They  could  see 
just  a  bit  of  light.  When  he  was  ready  to  start, 
Lutchi  said, — 

"I  don't  know  how  far  it  is,  but  if  I  go  to  those 
places  I  shall  be  back  here  at  sunrise.  If  they  are 
very  far  away,  I  shall  be  here  when  the  sun  is  as 
high  as  the  tree-tops." 

"  Do  you  think  you  will  be  back  by  sun 
rise  ? "  asked  Kinus.  "  Those  places  are  very  far 
away." 

"  I  know  they  are  far  away,"  said  Lutchi. 

"  I  have  been  all  over  the  world,"  added  Kinus. 
"  I  was  gone  a  long  time,  but  those  places  are 
farther  away  than  any  spot  where  I  have  been." 

"  Ho  !     Now  I  am  going  !  "  said  Lutchi ;  and  he 


Hawt  191 

darted  straight  up  into  the  sky,  next  down,  and  up 
and  down  again.  Then  he  called  out, — 

"  How  do  you  like  that  ?  Do  you  think  I  can 
go  to  those  people  ?  This  is  the  way  I  travel." 

He  shot  away  east  and  returned.  Then  he  went 
west  and  came  back  in  a  twinkle.  Next  he  turned 
north  and  was  gone.  He  had  never  travelled 
through  the  air  before.  Till  that  morning  he  had 
always  walked  on  the  ground,  just  as  we  do  now. 
He  went  straight  to  Waida  Werris's  house  and 
went  in.  It  was  dazzling  there,  and  seemed  to  him 
just  as  bright  as  daylight  seems  to  a  man  coming 
out  of  a  dark  place. 

Lutchi  saw  some  one  inside,  who  was  young  and 
beautiful.  He  could  not  look  at  his  face,  it  was  so 
bright.  There  were  two  brothers  in  the  house. 
The  younger  was  Waiti,  the  elder  Waida  Werris. 
Waiti  never  left  the  house  ;  never  went  abroad  or 
wandered,  stayed  at  home  all  the  time. 

"  I  have  come,"  said  Lutchi,  "  to  invite  you  to 
meet  people  from  all  the  world  at  a  flute-playing  in 
Waida  Dikit's  sweat-house." 

"  I  will  go,"  said  Waida  Werris.  He  knew  all 
that  was  going  on.  He  had  seen  it  while  travelling 
early,  before  daylight. 

"  I  am  going  now,"  said  Lutchi  to  Waida  Werris. 
And  as  soon  as  he  was  outside  he  rushed  off  toward 
the  west,  came  back,  rose  in  the  air,  came  down, 
and  then  shot  away,  like  a  lightning  flash,  eastward 
to  find  Patkilis  and  Sedit.  Soon  he  was  in  the  east, 
where  the  sky  comes  to  the  earth.  He  took  a  sky 
stick,  which  he  had  brought  with  him,  pried  up  the 


192      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

sky,  raised  it  a  little,  and  then  he  went  under  to 
the  other  side.  When  the  sky  came  down  again 
behind  him  and  struck  the  earth,  it  made  an  awful 
noise  which  was  heard  over  the  world.  The  whole 
world  shook.  All  the  people  at  Waida  Dikit' s  heard 
the  noise  and  wondered. 

"  What  can  that  be  ?  "  asked  they.  "  What  awful 
noise  is  that  ?  "  Waida  Dikit  knew  what  the  noise 
was,  but  he  never  told  any  one. 

Lutchi  went  straight  east  from  the  other  side  of 
the  sky,  and  never  stopped  till  he  found  Patkilis 
and  Sedit.  They  were  in  another  world,  another 
sky  came  down  to  their  world,  and  they  lived 
almost  at  the  edge  of  that  second  sky.  Lutchi  went 
into  their  sweat-house.  They  were  sitting  just 
inside  the  door,  one  at  one  side,  the  other  at  the 
other ;  the  door  was  on  the  east  side.  When  Lutchi 
had  sat  a  little  while,  Sedit  rose  and  said,  — 

"  My  grandson,  which  way  have  you  come  ?  " 

cc  I  come  here  for  you  and  Patkilis,"  answered 
Lutchi.  "  Waida  Dikit  sent  me  to  invite  you  to 
a  flute-playing  at  his  sweat-house.  Nobody  else 
could  come  to  you,  so  he  asked  me  to  come." 

"  We  are  glad,"  answered  they.  "  We  will 
go.  You  go  ahead.  But  how  shall  we  pass  the 
sky  ? " 

"I  will  wait  at  the  edge  for  you,"  said  Lutchi; 
and  he  went  on. 

When  Sedit  and  Patkilis  were  ready,  Sedit  said, 
"  I  wish  this  road  on  which  I  must  travel  to  be 
short,  very  short." 

They  started,  and  found  the  road  so  short  that 


Hawt 


193 


Lutchi  was  waiting  at  the  edge  of  the  sky  only  a 
little  while  when  they  were  with  him.  Lutchi  pried 
up  the  sky  a  second  time,  and  the  three  passed  under 
to  the  western  side.  Again  there  was  an  awful  noise, 
and  the  whole  world  trembled. 

"  Now  I  am  going  quickly ;  you  can  move  as 
you  like,"  said  Lutchi.  He  went  west  like  a  flash, 
and  just  as  the  sun  was  peeping  over  the  mountains 
he  was  back  at  Waida  Dikit's. 

"  Have  you  heard  what  is  going  on  in  this  world 
that  makes  such  a  noise  ? "  asked  Waida  Dikit. 
"  These  people  heard  an  awfully  big  noise." 

"  That  was  my  travelling,"  said  Lutchi.  "  Kinus, 
whom  you  sent  first,  could  not  go  to  those  three 
people.  I  went.  They  are  on  the  road,  and  will 
be  here  in  a  few  days." 

All  the  people  heard  this  and  were  glad. 

<c  Now  we  shall  hear  great  music,"  said  they. 

While  travelling  along  together,  Patkilis  spoke  to 
Sedit  and  advised  him.  "  When  we  are  in  Waida 
Dikit's  house,"  said  he,  "don't  talk  much.  Sit 
down  like  a  wise  man  and  look  on;  be  silent; 
don't  act  like  a  little  boy." 

Sedit  was  talking  all  the  time.  He  told  Patkilis 
what  he  was  going  to  do.  He  would  do  this  and 
do  that,  he  said. 

Two  days  passed,  and  the  two  men  had  not 
come.  On  the  third  day,  near  the  middle  of  the 
forenoon,  people  saw  a  beautiful  little  arrow  come 
down  just  by  the  door  of  the  sweat-house,  —  a  bright 
arrow.  When  it  struck  the  ground,  it  made  a  grat 
ing  noise,  and  they  said,  — 

13 


1 94     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"That  is  a  nice  arrow.  Who  sent  such  an 
arrow  ?  "  And  all  liked  it. 

There  were  crowds  of  people  in  the  sweat-house. 
Some  of  them  wanted  the  arrow.  "  Let 's  pull  it 
up ! "  said  they,  "  and  see  who  made  it ; "  but 
Waida  Dikit  would  not  let  them  touch  it.  "  Let  it 
stay  where  it  is.  Do  not  touch  it,"  said  he,  for  he 
knew  that  it  was  Patkilis's  arrow,  and  that  it  meant : 
"  I  am  coming.  I  shall  be  there  soon." 

While  the  people  were  talking  about  the  arrow, 
two  men  swept  in  through  the  door.  No  one  saw 
their  faces  or  their  heads,  just  their  legs  and  shadows. 

"  Give  them  room,  let  them  in,"  said  Waida  Dikit. 

"Where  can  they  sit?"  asked  Tsaroki. 

"  Give  each  a  place  on  the  east  side,"  said 
Waida  Dikit. 

The  two,  Patkilis  and  Sedit,  went  to  the  east  side 
and  sat  down.  Nobody  had  seen  Waida  Werris 
come,  but  he  was  in  the  house. 

When  leaving  home  that  morning,  Waida  Werris 
said  to  Waiti,  his  brother,  — 

"  You  will  stay  and  keep  house,  as  you  do  always. 
You  will  be  here,  but  you  will  see  me  all  the  time, 
you  will  see  me  night  and  day.  Watch  me ;  they 
will  do  other  things  there  besides  playing  on  flutes." 

Patkilis  and  Sedit  asked  Waida  Dikit  if  Waida 
Werris  had  come. 

"  I  do  not  know  where  he  is,"  replied  the  old 
man.  "  No  one  has  seen  him." 

"  Oh,  he  will  not  come,"  said  many  people. 
"What  kind  of  a  person  is  Waida  Werris  ?  He  is 
nobody.  What  do  we  want  of  him  ?  " 


Hawt  195 

Waida  Werris  was  sitting  there  all  the  time 
listening.  Waida  Dikit  knew  well  what  kind  of 
person  he  was,  but  said  nothing.  That  night  after 
all  invited  people  had  come,  Waida  Dikit  said : 

"  Listen,  all  you  people  here  present.  I  have 
called  this  gathering  to  find  who  is  the  best  flute- 
player,  who  can  make  the  best  music  in  this  world. 
Let  us  begin.  Let  each  play  alone." 

Tsaroki  began  the  trial.  "  I  will  begin,"  said  he 
to  his  brother  Hawt,  "  then  let  the  others  play.  You 
can  play  when  you  like." 

"  I  am  satisfied,"  said  Hawt.     "  I  will  play  last." 

"  That  is  well,"  answered  Tsaroki.  "  I  will  play 
first,  all  will  follow,  and  you  may  play  last." 

Tsaroki  began.  He  played  a  little  while,  not 
long  ;  played  well.  Kanhlalas  played  next.  All 
liked  his  music.  Watwut  Kiemila  played  third; 
played  splendidly. 

"  Go  ahead  and  play,  all  you  people,"  said 
Waida  Dikit. 

Tsileu  Herit  played  best  up  to  his  time,  played 
till  almost  morning,  till  just  before  daylight.  The 
inside  of  the  sweat-house  had  become  red,  and  some 
asked, — 

"Why  is  it  red  everywhere  inside  the  sweat- 
house  ?  " 

"  We  do  not  know,"  answered  others ;  "  some 
thing  makes  it  red." 

One  man  went  up  to  Waida  Dikit  and  asked, 
"  Why  is  it  red  inside  the  sweat-house  ? " 

cc  I  will  tell  you.  Do  you  see  Tsileu  Herit 
there  ?  Well,  he  has  been  playing  all  night,  the 


196     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

breath  is  gone  out  of  him,  he  is  all  red,  and  the 
whole  sweat-house  is  red  from  him." 

About  daylight  Tsileu  stopped,  and  then  it  grew 
as  dark  as  in  a  house  when  a  fire  is  put  out  in  the 
night.  Now  Tsaik  played  all  day,  and  at  sundown 
the  sweat-house  was  blue,  for  Tsaik  had  grown  blue. 

All  played  to  see  who  could  play  best.  Every 
kind  of  people  played.  When  any  one  was  out 
of  breath,  he  stopped  playing,  and  received  a  new 
color.  When  Murope  lost  breath,  he  was  spotted. 
When  Handokmit  lost  breath,  he  became  striped. 
Patkilis  played  three  nights  and  two  days,  and  when 
he  gave  out  after  sundown,  he  was  roan.  Wai  Hau 
played  five  nights,  and  at  sunrise  the  fifth  morning 
he  was  red.  Kiriu  Herit  played  five  nights,  and  at 
the  middle  of  the  sixth  night  he  was  black,  and  his 
breath  gone. 

And  so  for  many  days  and  nights  they  played,  one 
person  after  another,  till  one  night  all  had  finished 
except  Hawt.  Hawt  was  the  last  to  play.  All  were 
asleep  now.  All  had  lost  breath,  and  received  new 
colors.  Tsaroki  went  to  his  brother  on  the  north 
side  of  the  house,  and  said,  — 

"  Begin,  my  brother ;  over  near  the  fire  there  is  a 
place  for  you ;  go  under  the  ground,  and  when  you 
come  out,  you  will  play." 

Hawt  went  under  the  ground,  and  came  out  near 
the  fireplace.  He  lay  on  his  back  and  began  to 
play.  He  had  two  rows  of  holes  in  his  body,  one 
on  each  side ;  he  fingered  these  holes,  drew  in  air 
through  his  nostrils,  and  sent  it  out  through  the 
holes  in  both  sides.  Hawt  was  playing  on  his  own 


Hawt  197 

body.  At  first,  all  the  people  were  asleep,  except 
one  person,  Tsudi  Herit.  Tsudi  heard  Hawt,  and 
he  heard,  as  in  a  doze,  wonderful  sounds.  He 
listened  a  long  time,  thinking  it  a  dream.  When 
Tsudi  found  that  he  was  not  sleeping,  he  shook  the 
man  next  him,  and  said,  — 

"  Wake  up,  wake  up  !  Who  is  playing  ?  All 
have  played,  but  I  have  never  heard  music  like  this. 
Many  have  played  here,  but  no  one  played  in  this 
way." 

The  person  he  roused  was  Hus.  Hus  said  noth 
ing,  he  was  old  and  nearly  bald,  he  took  a  pipe  and 
began  to  smoke.  Tsudi  roused  other  people,  one 
after  another. 

"  Wake  up,  rise,  sit  up ;  listen  to  the  music  some 
body  is  playing." 

They  woke,  one  after  another.  "Who  is  play 
ing  ?  "  asked  one.  "  Who  is  it  ?  "  asked  another. 
"We  have  played  many  days  and  nights,  but  no 
one  played  like  that.  All  have  their  own  flutes. 
Who  can  this  be?" 

At  last  some  one  said :  "  I  know  who  is  playing. 
It  is  Hawt." 

"How  could  Hawt  play?"  asked  others.  "Whose 
flute  has  Hawt  ?  He  has  none  of  his  own.  Each  of 
us  brought  a  flute,  but  Hawt  brought  none.  Whose 
flute  has  he  now  ?  " 

Every  one  heard  the  wonderful  music,  and  every 
one  said,  "  We  should  like  to  see  the  man  who 
plays  in  this  way." 

It  was  night,  and  dark  in  the  sweat-house.  All 
began  to  say  how  much  they  wanted  light  to  see 


198      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

who  was  playing.  Waida  Werris  was  lying  back  in 
the  east  half  of  the  sweat-house,  and  heard  every 
word.  He,  too,  wanted  to  look  at  the  player.  He 
sat  up,  pulled  one  hair  out  of  his  beard,  gave  it  to 
Tsudi,  and  said,  — 

"  Go  down  near  that  man  who  is  playing,  and 
hold  up  this  hair  so  that  people  may  see  him." 

Tsudi  took  the  hair  and  went  along  quietly.  No 
one  heard  him.  He  held  the  hair  over  Hawt's 
head,  and  there  was  a  light  from  it  that  filled  the 
whole  house.  It  was  as  bright  as  day  there.  All 
the  people  were  seen  sitting  up,  each  hugging  his 
flute.  No  man  would  lend  his  flute  to  any  one 
else  in  the  world  for  any  price.  All  were  look 
ing  toward  the  spot  whence  the  music  came.  In 
the  light  they  saw  a  man  lying  on  his  back  with 
his  arms  across  his  breast,  but  they  could  not  see 
that  he  was  doing  anything.  He  had  no  flute,  he 
made  no  motion  with  his  mouth,  for  he  fingered  his 
sides  as  he  would  a  flute,  and  made  the  music  by 
drawing  in  air  through  his  nostrils,  and  sending  it 
out  through  the  holes  in  his  sides. 

Tsudi  held  up  Waida  Werris's  single  hair,  and 
people  watched  Hawt  to  see  how  he  made  the  beau 
tiful  music.  He  was  lying  on  his  back  making 
wonderful  sounds.  He  played  the  music  of  Tsaik's 
song,  of  Waida  Werris's  song,  of  Tsaroki's  song. 
They  could  hear  the  music,  but  there  was  no  motion 
of  Hawt's  mouth  and  they  could  not  see  his  fingers 
play.  He  gave  the  music  of  Patkilis's  song  and  of 
Sedit's.  He  gave  the  music  of  the  songs  of  all 
people  in  the  sweat-house. 


Hawt  199 

"  Hawt  has  beaten  the  world  !  "  cried  the  assem 
bly.  "  He  can  do  more  than  we  can ;  we  yield, 
we  are  silent.  Hawt  is  the  best  player  in  the  world  ! 
No  one  can  play  as  he  plays  ! " 

Hawt  gave  his  own  music  next.  No  one  knew 
that  music  but  him,  no  one  could  play  it  but  him. 
There  was  no  other  music  so  loud  and  strong,  no 
other  music  so  soft  and  low. 

When  the  people  had  watched  Hawt  a  long  time 
and  listened  a  long  time,  he  stopped.  All  cried  out 
then, — 

"  Hawt  is  the  one  great  musician,  the  only  great 
player  on  earth  ! " 

Tsudi  put  down  the  hair  and  all  were  in  the 
dark.  He  carried  the  hair  back  and  gave  it  to 
Waida  Werris. 

People  began  to  talk  and  ask  one  another : 
"  Where  did  that  light  come  from ;  whose  is 
it  ? "  One  said  Tsudi  had  it ;  another  said, 
"  No,  he  never  had  a  light  like  that."  «  Who 
gave  it  to  him  ? "  asked  a  third.  "  Some  one 
must  have  given  it  to  Tsudi.  Let  us  ask  him 
about  this." 

Here  and  there  people  said :  "  Only  Waida 
Werris  could  make  such  a  light.  What  kind  of 
person  is  Waida  Werris  ?  We  should  like  to  see 
Waida  Werris." 

cc  I  have  never  seen  Waida  Werris,  but  I  have 
heard  people  tell  how  nice  looking  he  is,  and  that 
he  can  be  seen  from  afar,"  said  Patkilis.  "  If  he 
were  here  he  might  make  such  a  light,  but  he  is  not 
here,  or  we  should  all  see  him  right  away." 


2oo      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Waida  Werris  was  lying  near  them,  and  heard  all 
they  said. 

"  Let  us  ask  Waida  Dikit,"  said  Karkit  Kiemila, 
a  big  man,  lying  on  the  west  side,  facing  Waida 
Werris ;  and  he  began  to  talk  to  Waida  Dikit. 

"  The  people  wish  to  see  Waida  Werris,"  said  he. 
"  You  have  invited  all  people  in  the  world,  and  you 
have  invited  him.  What  will  you  do  ?  Is  he 
here  ?  Will  you  let  every  one  see  him  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  one  old  man.  "  Waida  Werris 
is  bad.  I  don't  want  to  see  him."  "  We  have 
heard  that  he  is  good,"  said  others.  "  We  want  to 
see  him."  So  they  were  divided. 

Waida  Werris  smoked  a  while  in  silence.  At 
last  Waida  Dikit  bent  toward  Patkilis  and  Sedit  and 
asked,  — 

"What  do  you  think,  shall  I  let  people  see 
Waida  Werris  or  not  ?  " 

"They  want  to  see  him,"  answered  the  two. 
"  You  have  invited  them  and  invited  him.  If 
people  wish  to  see  Waida  Werris,  let  them  see 
him." 

"  Where  shall  I  let  them  see  him  ?  " 

"  Let  all  the  people  go  outside  the  sweat-house," 
said  Patkilis,  "  and  stand  in  two  long  rows,  one  on 
each  side  of  the  door,  and  let  Waida  Werris  go  out 
between  them.  If  he  goes  out,  every  one  can 
look  at  him  ;  only  a  few  would  see  him  inside  the 
house." 

"Very  well,"  answered  Waida  Dikit.  "  Now  all 
you  people  go  outside  the  house." 

Tsaroki  opened  the  door,  and  went  out  first.    All 


Hawt  201 

followed,  each  saying  as  he  went,  "It  is  dark  :  we 
shall  not  see  Waida  Werris." 

"  You  can  see  him  in  the  dark/'  said  Waida 
Dikit.  "Join  hands,  all  of  you,  and  go  around  to 
the  north  side  of  the  sweat-house." 

"Go  you,"  said  Waida  Dikit  to  Tsudi,  "and 
search  inside.  Tell  me  when  all  the  people  are 
out." 

Tsudi  searched  everywhere.  "  All  have  gone 
out,"  said  he. 

Waida  Dikit  closed  the  door  and  said  :  "  Some  of 
you  people  are  sleepy,  but  wake  up,  open  your  eyes, 
be  ready  to  see  —  look  north." 

"  What  can  we  do  here  ?  Why  did  we  come  out 
in  the  dark?"  asked  a  certain  Chirchihas.  "We 
can  see  nothing  at  this  time  of  night ; "  and,  turning 
to  Lutchi,  he  asked :  "  Have  you  seen  him,  or  his 
brother?  What  sort  of  a  place  do  they  live  in?  " 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  now ;  you  will  see  him 
soon." 

"  Be  ready,  all  of  you,"  said  Waida  Dikit.  "  Look 
north." 

All  looked.  There  was  a  pointed  mountain  not 
far  away,  and  straight  out  before  them.  They  saw 
a  small  light  rising  till  it  reached  the  top  of  that 
mountain  ;  there  it  settled,  and  soon  it  seemed  near 
them,  just  a  few  steps  from  the  faces  of  the  people. 
That  was  Waida  Werris.  The  place  around  was  as 
if  in  daylight.  All  could  see  him ;  all  looked  at 
him. 

"  Now,  you  people,  there  is  Waida  Werris  before 
you  ;  do  you  see  him  ?  " 


202      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  We  see  him." 

"  Hereafter  all  people  will  see  him  there  in  the 
north,  as  you  see  him  now,"  said  Waida  Dikit. 
"Come  back  to  the  sweat-house,  all  of  you." 

Tsaroki  opened  the  door,  and  all  went  in.  "  We 
will  talk,"  said  the  old  man,  "  then  eat,  and  after 
that  separate." 

Day  had  come  —  there  was  light  in  the  sweat- 
house.  They  heard  some  one  coming,  and  soon 
they  saw  an  old  woman  in  the  door.  This  was 
Tunhlucha  Pokaila.  She  would  not  go  in,  but 
stood  a  while  holding  in  both  hands  two  beautiful 
baskets  of  water.  These  she  put  down  at  the  door, 
looked  in,  and  went  away.  Waida  Dikit  took  the 
baskets,  put  them  on  the  ground  north  of  the  fire, 
and  said,  — 

"  Here  is  a  little  water,  but  come  all  and  use  it, 
—  wash." 

The  old  woman  was  Waida  Dikit' s  sister ;  she 
lived  north  of  her  brother's,  not  far  away.  There 
was  a  rock  at  that  place,  with  a  spring  in  it.  The 
rock  was  her  house.  Water  rose  in  that  rock  to  the 
surface  and  went  into  the  earth  again  in  another  part 
of  the  same  house.  The  old  woman  had  two  baskets ; 
the  smaller  one  held  water  for  drinking,  the  larger  one 
water  for  washing.  Great  crowds  of  people  drank 
from  the  smaller  basket  and  washed  from  the  other ; 
each  used  what  he  needed,  the  water  never  grew  less  ; 
it  remained  the  same  always  in  quantity. 

"  Have  all  washed  and  drunk  ? "  asked  Waida 
Dikit. 

"  We  have  all  washed  and  drunk." 


Hawt 


203 


The  old  man  removed  the  baskets,  and  set  out 
two  others  which  the  old  woman  had  just  brought, 
—  one  of  cooked  venison,  and  another  a  very  small 
basket  of  acorn  porridge.  He  put  the  baskets  in 
the  middle  of  the  sweat-house  and  said,  — 

"Now,  all  people,  I  ask  you  to  eat." 

"I  will  try  that  food,''  said  Karkit.  He  went 
and  ate.  Next  Hus  ate,  then  Yipokos.  Now  these 
three  men  ate  deer  meat  since  that  time,  and 
will  always  find  meat  by  the  smell,  —  this  was  the 
first  time  they  ate  venison.  Tsihl  and  Wima, 
called  also  Bohemba,  ate  all  they  could  from  the 
little  basket,  yet  the  food  was  not  less  by  one  bit. 
Patit  ate  plenty.  Hus  ate,  and  so  did  Sedit. 
All  ate  as  much  as' they  could;  still  each  basket  was 
full.  The  food  grew  no  less.  Waida  Dikit  kept 
saying,  — 

"  You  people,  here  is  food.  I  do  not  need  it. 
Come  and  eat  what  there  is." 

He  sent  Tsudi  around  to  ask  each  man  if  he  had 
eaten.  All  said  they  had  eaten  till  Tsudi  went  half 
around,  when  he  found  one  man,  Memtulit,  who 
said  that  he  had  not  eaten,  but  was  willing  to 
eat. 

"  I  will  eat  if  I  see  anything  good,"  said  he. 

"  Well,  go  and  eat,"  said  Tsudi. 

"  What  kind  of  food  have  you  ?  " 

"  Venison  and  acorn  porridge." 

"  I  do  not  eat  that  kind  of  food." 

"  Here  is  a  man  who  has  not  eaten,"  said  Tsudi  \ 
"  he  cannot  eat  that  food." 

Farther  on  was  found  Kiriu,  who  had  not  eaten, 


204      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

arid  a  third,  a  very  young  man,  Tsararok.  "  I 
should  like  to  eat,"  said  he,  "but  I  am  timid. 
There  are  so  many  people  here  eating." 

"  What  kind  of  food  do  you  eat,  Kiriu  ?  "  asked 
Tsudi. 

"  I  cannot  eat  venison.  I  eat  what  lives  in  the 
water."  The  other  two  men  said  the  same. 

Waida  Dikit  went  to  his  old  house,  where  he  had 
dried  fish.  He  caught  besides  a  net  full  of  little 
fish.  He  cooked  both  kinds  and  carried  them  to 
the  sweat-house,  set  them  down  in  the  middle,  and 
said,  "  Now  come  and  eat." 

Memtulit  ate,  so  did  Kiriu.  Tsararok  came  after 
a  while.  He  began  to  eat  the  little  fish,  did  n't  see 
the  other  kind ;  this  is  why  Tsararok  likes  small 
fish  to  this  day. 

The  old  man  asked  again,  "  Have  all  eaten  ?  " 
"  We  have,"  answered  all. 

There  was  as  much  food  in  the  two  baskets  as  at 
first,  and  the  old  man  put  them  outside  the  house. 
Sedit  saw  this,  and  was  angry.  He  said  that  people 
should  leave  nothing. 

"Don't  talk  so,"  said  Patkilis.  "What  is  done 
is  right." 

"  You  are  all  free  to  stay  longer,"  said  Waida 
Dikit,  "but  I  suppose  that  you  wish  to  go  home, 
I  suppose  you  are  in  a  hurry." 

"  Why  should  we  go  so  soon  ? "  asked  Sedit. 
"  The  people  from  the  west  might  tell  us  what  they 
know ;  we  ought  to  tell  them  something." 

"  Keep  quiet,  Sedit,"  said  Patkilis.  "  I  told  you 
not  to  talk.  There  are  many  big  men  here,  better 


Hawt  205 

men  than  you,  but  they  don't  talk.  Waida  Dikit 
says  that  we  have  stayed  long  enough  ;  that  is  what 
he  means  ;  you  ought  to  know  it.  He  spoke  as  he 
did  because  he  wished  to  say  something  nice  to  us 
and  be  friends  ;  but  you  must  keep  still." 

A  man  on  the  west  side  rose  now  and  came 
toward  the  middle  of  the  house,  near  the  fire,  stood 
there,  looked  about,  and  spat  on  the  ground.  All 
the  people  saw  him  spit,  and  in  an  instant  they  saw 
a  small  basket  rise  out  of  the  spittle.  Inside  the 
basket  were  acorns  of  mountain  live  oak.  This  man 
was  Patit.  He  went  back  to  his  place  and  lay  down. 
Waida  Dikit  set  the  basket  in  the  middle  of  the 
sweat-house,  picked  out  an  acorn,  ate  it,  and  said,  — 

"  People,  come  and  eat.  My  friend  Patit  has 
made  this  for  you,  —  this  is  his  food." 

They  never  had  acorns  of  that  kind  till  then. 
Nop  came  first  to  the  basket  to  eat,  and  to  this 
day  he  is  fond  of  acorns.  Then  Tsihl  and  Wima 
and  Tichelis  and  Tsudi  and  Tsaik  went  to  the  basket 
and  ate,  and  all  are  fond  of  acorns  now.  No  matter 
how  many  they  took  from  the  basket,  the  acorns 
were  none  the  less. 

Sedit  sat  back  ill-natured  ;  he  wanted  them  to 
eat  all  the  acorns.  Waida  Dikit  put  the  basket 
outside. 

Tsihl  rose  now,  went  to  the  place  where  Patit  had 
spat,  and  put  an  empty  basket  on  the  ground.  He 
untied  a  wide  strap,  or  braid  of  grass,  which  he  wore 
around  his  wrist,  and  held  down  his  hand.  Some 
thing  flowed  out  of  it,  like  water,  till  the  basket  was 
filled.  Then  he  tied  up  his  wrist  again.  The  basket 


206      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

was  full  of  seeds  of  sugar  pine.  Waida  Dikit  ate  of 
them  ;  then  called  all  to  eat.  People  came  and  ate 
all  they  wanted.  The  basket  was  as  full  as  before. 
Sedit  was  very  angry. 

Hau  came  forward  and  put  down  a  stone  cup. 
He  held  his  ear  over  it,  scratched  the  ear,  and 
out  came  a  stream  of  manzanita  berries.  These 
were  the  first  manzanita.  No  one  had  ever  seen 
those  berries  in  the  world  before.  Waida  Dikit  ate  a 
handful  of  the  berries  and  sat  down  —  said  nothing. 
All  the  people  hurried  to  eat,  crowded  around  the 
cup,  ate  as  long  as  they  were  able,  but  could  not 
decrease  the  berries.  Presently  Waida  Dikit  began 
to  itch.  He  did  not  know  what  troubled  him. 
Soon  spots  came  out  all  over  his  body  —  red,  yellow, 
and  black.  This  was  because  he  had  eaten  the 
berries.  His  spirit  was  afraid  of  what  he  had  eaten. 
His  spirit  did  not  wish  that  he  should  eat  berries, 
they  were  not  his  kind  of  food ;  and  that  was 
why  the  spots  came  out  on  him.  It  was  his  spirit's 
fear  that  brought  out  the  spots,  and  he  has  been 
spotted  ever  since.  He  ate  not  because  he  wished, 
but  because  he  was  master  of  the  house.  It  was  for 
him  to  taste  everything,  or  people  would  think  it 
bad  food. 

Now  Wima  came,  put  down  a  basket,  and  untied 
a  white  wristband  which  he  wore,  held  his  hand 
down,  and  wild  plums  dropped  into  the  basket  and 
filled  it. 

This  time  Waida  Dikit  sent  Tichelis  to  taste  the 
plums  and  set  out  the  basket.  People  ate,  but 
there  were  as  many  plums  as  before. 


Hawt  207 

These  different  kinds  of  food  were  given  to  the 
world  for  the  first  time  then,  and  this  is  why  we 
have  them  now. 

Tsaik  came  to  the  middle  of  the  sweat-house. 
He  tapped  the  ground  with  his  nose,  and  out  came  a 
great  pile  of  acorns. 

Sedit  had  eaten  as  much  as  he  could,  and  was 
angry  because  any  was  put  away.  He  kept  saying 
to  Patkilis,  "  I  don't  like  that." 

"  Sedit,"  answered  Patkilis,  "  I  have  warned  you 
against  talking  so  much.  Don't  you  know  that 
after  a  while  all  the  new  kind  of  people,  the  people 
to  come,  will  use  food  in  this  way,  eat  what  they 
want,  and  put  the  rest  away  ?  " 

"You  people  have  talked  and  been  friendly,"  said 
Waida  Dikit.  "This  is  the  food  we  need  ;  this  will 
be  our  only  food  hereafter." 

"  Well,"  said  Kanhlalas,  standing  up,  "  I  think 
we  have  almost  finished.  If  we  stay  here  too  long, 
some  bad  people  may  see  us  and  talk  about  what 
we  are  doing." 

Others  said  :  c:  Yes,  we  have  given  all  the  food 
we  have.  If  this  gathering  lasts  longer,  bad  people 
may  find  us  and  make  trouble." 

"  That  is  true,"  said  the  assembly;  "let  us  part." 

"We  will  part,"  said  Waida  Dikit.  "I  am 
going  to  my  old  house  and  will  stay  there  forever. 
If  salmon  come  up  the  Wini  Mem,  they  will  come 
as  far  as  my  house  and  go  back." 

Next  morning  all  set  out  for  their  homes.  Tsihl 
changed  his  mind  on  the  road,  and  went  back  to 
Tede  Puyuk,  where  he  found  that  all  had  gone 


208      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

except  Sedit,  Patkilis,  Nop,  and  Hau.  These  four 
were  outside  the  sweat-house,  and  Tsihl  said, — 

"  We  have  come  back  to  look  at  this  place  again  ; 
it  pleases  us." 

They  stayed  awhile,  travelled  through  the  country, 
and  when  Olelbis  sent  people  down  here,  coyotes, 
jack  rabbits,  deer,  red-foxes,  and  black  bear  came  to 
Tede  Puyuk,  and  there  were  many  of  them  ever 
after  around  that  whole  country. 


NORWANCHAKUS   AND    KERIHA 


NORWANCHAKUS   AND    KERIHA 


PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  creature  or    thing  unto 
which  the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Eltuluma,  ;  Hubit,  wasp;   Ke~riha,  ;   Kuntihl^,  a  small 

bird  unknown;   Lasaswa,  large  spider;    Nodal  M6noko, ;    Nor- 

wanchakus,  ;    Norwinte,  ,    Patkilis,  jack   rabbit ;    Pawnit, 

kangaroo   rat ;    Pom   Norwanen    Pitchen,   daughter  of   the   Southern 

Border,  the   same  as  Norwan  ;    Puriwa,  dark;    Supchit, ;    Sani- 

has,  daylight ;  Tsaik,  blue  jay ;  Tsiwihl,  blue-breasted  lizard ;  Waida 
Werris,  polar  star. 


THE  two  brothers  Norwanchakus  and  Keriha 
were  on  this  earth  before  any  place  or  thing 
had  a  name.  When  Olelbis  took  the  sky  pole  and 
made  a  deep  furrow  from  the  foot  of  Bohem  Puyuk 
to  the  lower  valley,  and  a  river  came,  the  two 
brothers  were  at  the  end  of  the  furrow  and  started 
toward  the  north.  Norwanchakus  was  the  elder ; 
Keriha  was  very  small. 

When  the  brothers  started,  they  could  not  see 
well.  There  was  no  sun  then ;  there  was  only  a 
kind  of  dim  twilight.  Waida  Werris  was  in  the  sky, 
and  saw  the  brothers.  Fish  had  got  into  all  rivers 
now  from  the  southern  pond,  where  Kuntihle  Herit 
had  caught  the  first  fish. 

"There  are  fish  in  the  river,"  said  Keriha;  "let 
us  catch  some.  Let  us  take  a  net  up  the  river  and 
come  down  with  it." 


2 1  2      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  We  have  no  net,  and  there  is  no  light ;  we  can 
not  see  anything/'  said  the  elder  brother. 

"  Go,  my  brother,"  said  Keriha,  "  to  where  the 
sky  comes  down  on  the  northwest ;  go  out  under 
it.  You  will  find  there  the  plant  kuruti ;  bring  it." 

"  I  cannot  go  there,"  said  Norwanchakus  ;  "  you 
go,  my  brother." 

Keriha  went  through  the  air  quickly  ;  brought  the 
plant  —  brought  all  there  was. 

"  We  must  have  more,"  said  Norwanchakus. 

"  Well,  go  and  get  it,"  answered  Keriha.  "  It 
grows  beyond  the  sky  in  the  southwest." 

"  I  cannot  go  there ;  go  you,"  said  the  elder 
brother. 

Keriha  went  beyond  the  sky  on  the  southeast ; 
found  plenty  of  kuruti.  The  elder  brother  made 
strings  of  the  fibre. 

"  I  am  in  a  hurry  to  fish,"  said  Keriha.  "  You 
are  slow,  my  brother." 

"  Go  straight  east  beyond  the  sky,"  said  the  other, 
"  and  get  ash  wood  while  I  am  making  a  net." 

Keriha  brought  the  ash.  Norwanchakus  had  the 
net  made,  and  now  he  fixed  the  ash  stick. 

"  My  brother,"  said  Keriha,  "we  cannot  see  any 
thing.  How  can  we  fish  ?  There  are  people 
around  us  in  the  world,  perhaps,  but  we  have  no 
good  light  to  find  them." 

There  was  a  kind  of  dim  light  all  the  time.  The 
two  brothers  started,  came  north  as  far  as  Nomlopi, 
opposite  Pas  Puisono,  and  sat  down. 

Keriha  heard  voices  in  the  north  and  asked, 
"  Do  you  hear  shouting  ?  " 


Norwanchakus  and  Keriha  21 


3 


"  No  ;  I  hear  nothing,"  answered  Norwanchakus. 

"  Let  us  go  toward  the  shouting,"  said  Keriha. 

They  went  to  a  place  about  six  miles  beyond  the 
river,  where  they  found  a  sweat-house. 

cc  These  are  the  first  people  we  have  seen,"  said 
Keriha.  "We  shall  call  this  place  Tsarau  Heril." 
They  stood  near  the  door  of  the  sweat-house. 

"  Oh,  my  brother,"  said  a  big  man  who  saw  them 
and  came  to  the  door. 

"  Yes,"  said  Keriha,  "  you  are  our  brother,  you 
are  Norwinte." 

Another  came  and  said,  "  Oh,  my  brother  !  " 

"  You  are  our  brother,  too,"  said  Keriha ;  cc  you 
are  Eltuluma." 

"  It  is  dark.  We  do  not  know  what  to  do,"  said 
Norwinte. 

"  And  we  do  not  know,"  answered  Keriha. 

"  Not  far  from  here  are  more  people,"  said  Nor 
winte.  "  Let  us  send  to  them  to  come  here.  Per 
haps  we  may  learn  what  to  do." 

Norwinte  sent  a  messenger  to  the  north.  He 
brought  a  new  person  soon,  a  good-looking  man ;  and 
when  this  stranger  had  talked  a  while  he  said,  "There 
is  a  person  in  the  southeast  who  can  help  us." 

"  Will  you  bring  him  here  ?  "  asked  Norwinte. 

"  I  cannot  go  there,"  said  the  stranger. 

"  You  go,  Keriha,"  said  Norwanchakus.  cc  No 
one  can  go  there  but  you." 

Keriha  went,  and  was  not  long  gone.  He  brought 
back  Patkilis. 

"  My  brother  Patkilis,  do  you  know  of  any  more 
people  anywhere  ?  " 


214      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  I  know  of  no  more  people.  I  have  seen  none ; 
but  in  the  far  east  I  hear  shouting,  with  dancing  and 
singing." 

"  Well,  my  brother,  I  wish  you  would  go  and  see 
what  kind  of  people  are  making  that  noise  there." 

"  I  will  go,"  said  Patkilis.  "  I  don't  think  it  is 
very  far  from  here  to  where  they  are." 

Patkilis  was  gone  a  long  time.  When  he  came 
back,  he  said  :  "  I  saw  many  people,  but  they  did 
not  see  me.  There  is  a  hill  beyond  the  sky  in  the 
east.  On  the  northern  slope  of  it  are  houses.  On 
the  southern  slope  there  are  houses,  also.  A  river 
flows  from  this  hill  westward.  South  of  the  hill 
every  one  is  dancing.  I  went  into  the  houses  on 
the  north  side.  All  were  empty  except  one.  In 
the  middle  house  of  the  village  I  found  a  blind  boy. 
I  looked  around  and  saw  much  in  the  house.  c  Why 
have  you  so  many  things  here  ? '  asked  I  of  the  boy. 
c  What  are  they  good  for  ?  I  live  on  the  other  side. 
We  have  n't  such  things  in  our  houses.'  He  said 
nothing.  I  talked  a  long  time  to  him,  asked  many 
questions,  but  got  no  answer.  All  he  said  was, 
c  My  people  have  gone  to  dance.'  There  were 
piles  of  acorns  inside  and  outside,  great  baskets  of 
them  put  around  everywhere.  I  sat  down.  c  What 
is  this?'  asked  I.  'What  is  that?  What  is  in 
those  baskets  there  ? '  c  Oh,  something,'  said  the 
blind  boy ;  and  that  was  all  the  answer  he  made. 
There  were  many  bags,  all  full  of  something.  I 
saw  two  small  bags  hanging  in  the  house,  and  they 
were  very  full.  c  What  is  in  those  small  bags  that 
are  so  full  ? '  asked  I.  c  Can  you  tell  me,  little 


Norwanchakus  and  Keriha 


215 


boy  ?  *  c  Why  do  you  want  to  know  everything  ? ' 
asked  the  blind  boy.  I  asked  about  those  two  bags 
in  different  ways,  but  he  would  n't  tell  me  for  a  long 
time.  I  teased  him  and  teased  him  to  tell.  '  You 
want  to  know  everything/  said  he,  at  last ;  c  I  will 
tell  you.  In  one  is  Puriwa.'  c  Well,  what  is  in  the 
other  bag?  Tell  me.  You  have  told  about  one, 
now  tell  about  the  other/  He  thought  a  while 
and  asked,  c  Why  do  you  want  to  know  so  much  ? 
Sanihas  is  in  the  other  bag/  He  would  tell  no 
more,  and  I  came  away/' 

When  Patkilis  had  told  all  this,  Keriha  said,  after 
thinking  a  while :  "  This  is  the  best  news  that  we 
have  heard  in  this  world  yet ;  some  one  of  us  ought 
to  go  there.  We  must  bring  those  two  bags  here. 
If  we  open  one,  the  world  will  be  dark;  if  we 
open  the  other,  there  will  be  daylight.  Those 
acorns,  too,  are  good.  You  must  send  some  one 
for  those  two  bags." 

"There  is  a  man  up  north  here,  Pawnit.  He 
could  go ;  send  for  him,"  said  Patkilis. 

They  sent  for  him,  and  he  came.  They  told  him 
what  they  wanted. 

"  I  can  go  for  those  things,"  said  he,  "  but  I  don't 
like  to  go  alone.  My  brothers,  you  bring  a  man 
here  who  lives  up  north,  Tsaik.  He  is  blind  of 
one  eye." 

When  Tsaik  came  and  heard  about  the  acorns, 
he  said :  "  I  should  like  to  have  them ;  they  are 
good.  If  I  go,  I  will  take  the  acorns,  and  you  can 
bring  the  two  bags,"  said  he  to  Pawnit. 

"  When  you  come  to  that  hill  in  the  east,"  said 


2 1 6      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Patkilis  to  Pawnit,  "  you  will  see  many  houses  on 
the  north  side  of  it,  and  many  on  the  south,  where 
people  are  dancing ;  but  go  to  the  north,  and  right 
in  the  middle  of  the  village  you  will  see  a  big  house, 
with  the  door  toward  the  south.  When  you  go  in, 
don't  let  the  blind  boy  know  that  there  are  two  of 
you.  Let  one  talk  to  him  while  the  other  takes 
the  bags.  The  one  talking  will  make  him  believe 
that  he  came  from  the  south  side  of  the  hill,  where 
people  are  dancing.  When  you  are  going  in  through 
the  door,  you  will  see  the  two  bags  right  opposite, 
both  smooth  and  very  full.  Get  those  bags,  so  that 
we  can  see  what  kind  of  place  this  is.  We  want 
plenty  of  light.  We  want  darkness,  too,  so  that 
there  may  not  be  too  much  light." 

Pawnit  and  Tsaik  started  off  on  their  journey. 
How  long  the  journey  lasted  no  one  knows.  They 
went  beyond  the  sky  and  reached  the  eastern  hill, 
they  saw  the  villages  south  and  north  of  it,  and 
heard  a  great  noise  of  dancing  at  the  south.  They 
went  to  the  northern  village,  found  the  big  house 
in  the  middle  of  it,  and  stopped  before  the  door. 

"  Go  in/'  said  Tsaik.  "  I  will  stay  outside.  I 
have  a  strap.  I  am  going  to  carry  away  the  acorn 
baskets.  You  go  in.  I  will  stay  here  and  tie  them 
together." 

Pawnit  went  in  and  sat  down  on  the  west  side. 
The  blind  boy  was  lying  on  the  east  side. 

"  Well,  blind  boy,"  said  Pawnit,  "  I  am  cold.  I 
have  been  dancing.  I  have  come  here  to  warm 
myself." 

"  I  should  like  to  know  why  you  people  come 


f   UNIVERSITY  J 

^S^CALiFO^X 
Norwanchakus  and  Keriha  217 

here  while  there  is  dancing  at  the  other  side,"  said 
the  blind  boy. 

Pawnit  made  no  answer,  but  went  out  to  see  what 
Tsaik  was  doing.  "  Where  are  you,  Tsaik  ?  "  asked 
he. 

"  I  am  here  making  ready  to  carry  acorns," 
answered  Tsaik. 

Just  then  they  saw  some  one  near  them.  "  Who 
is  this  ?  "  asked  Pawnit. 

"  I  am  here,"  said  Patkilis.  "  Come,  Pawnit,  you 
and  I  will  go  in  and  get  the  two  bags.  You,  Tsaik, 
take  the  acorns/' 

Tsaik  put  a  big  load  on  his  back  and  started  on, 
while  the  others  were  in  the  house.  Patkilis  took 
daylight,  and  Pawnit  took  darkness.  As  soon  as 
they  were  outside  the  house,  the  blind  boy  stood  up 
and  screamed, — 

"  Who  was  that  ?  Some  one  has  stolen  some 
thing  ! " 

He  felt  for  the  bags,  then  ran  out  and  screamed,  — 

"  Some  one  has  stolen  Puriwa  and  Sanihas ! 
Some  one  has  stolen  Puriwa  and  Sanihas !  Some 
one  has  stolen  Puriwa  and  Sanihas  !  " 

The  people  who  were  dancing  heard  him  and 
said,  "  Some  one  is  screaming!  "  Then  they  heard 
plainly, — 

"  Some  one  has  stolen  Puriwa  and  Sanihas  !  They 
have  run  west  with  them  !  " 

When  they  heard  this,  the  dancers  stopped  danc 
ing  and  ran  west.  Soon  they  saw  the  three  men 
racing  off  with  the  bags. 

They  saw  Tsaik  far  ahead  with  a  pack  of  acorns 


2 1 8      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

on  his  back.  They  could  see  him  a  long  way,  for 
the  pack  was  a  big  one.  Pawnit  and  Patkilis  carried 
their  bags  in  their  hands.  The  people  ran  fast  and 
shouted  to  each  other,  — 

"  Catch  them  !  Catch  them  !  Do  your  best ! 
Head  them  off!  Surround  them  !  " 

They  could  not  overtake  Tsaik.  He  went 
through  under  the  sky  before  they  could  come  up. 

When  Pawnit  and  Patkilis  were  rising  from 
under  the  edge  of  the  sky,  those  behind  were  ready 
to  seize  Pawnit  and  would  have  caught  him,  but  he 
tore  open  the  mouth  of  his  bag,  and  that  instant 
thick  darkness  spread  everywhere.  No  one  could 
see ;  all  were  as  if  blind  in  one  moment. 

The  eastern  people  had  to  stop.  They  could  fol 
low  no  farther.  Patkilis  knew  the  country  west  of 
the  sky,  and  he  and  Pawnit  stumbled  on,  came 
along  slowly  in  the  dark,  and  groped  westward  a 
good  while.  At  last  Patkilis  opened  his  bag,  and 
that  moment  daylight  went  out  of  it.  They  could 
see  a  great  distance ;  they  were  very  glad  now, 
travelled  quickly,  and  were  soon  at  Norwinte's. 

Keriha  and  Norwanchakus  lived  for  a  time  with 
Norwinte  (it  is  unknown  how  long),  and  then  took 
their  net  and  went  up  the  river  to  fish  downward. 
They  went  up  Bohema  Mem  and  Pui  Mem  as  far 
as  Panti  Tsarau. 

"  Let  us  fish  down  from  this,  my  brother/'  said 
Keriha.  "  I  will  hold  the  end  of  the  net  stick  that 
goes  out  in  the  river,  so  that  I  may  take  the  fish 
quickly  when  they  are  caught.  You  can  go  along 
the  bank." 


Norwanchakus  and  Keriha  219 

They  fished  down  to  Nomlupi,  and  Keriha 
named  all  the  places  as  he  and  his  brother  came 
down.  He  gave  them  the  names  which  they  have 
now,  the  names  by  which  we  Wintus  call  them. 
The  first  place  below  Panti  Tsarau  was  Lorus  Pom 
and  Keriha  left  no  place  unnamed  between  Panti 
Tsarau  and  Nomlupi.  They  stopped  at  Nomlupi, 
built  a  brush  house  there,  and  lived  some  time 
in  it. 

One  day  the  two  brothers  went  to  Norwanbuli 
to  the  great  sweat-house  where  the  woman  Pom 
Norwanen  Pitchen  or  Norwan  lived. 

"  My  brother,  you  must  not  make  this  woman 
angry/'  said  Norwanchakus,  when  they  were  near 
Norwanbuli.  "This  is  a  very  powerful  woman; 
she  has  a  great  deal  of  food,  a  great  deal  to  eat, 
but  you  must  not  take  anything ;  eat  nothing 
except  what  she  gives;  don't  talk  much;  do  just 
what  I  tell  you." 

"  I  will  do  what  you  tell  me,"  said  Keriha. 

They  went  in  at  the  south  side  of  Norwanbuli, 
and  stopped  east  of  the  door.  Norwanchakus  sat 
down,  and  held  Keriha  between  his  knees.  The 
woman  put  her  hand  behind  her,  took  acorn  bread, 
held  it  toward  the  brothers,  and  said, — 

"  Take  this,  you  two  men,  eat  it,  and  then  go 
away." 

"This  woman  has  a  great  deal  to  eat,"  said 
Keriha.  "  Let 's  stay  here  a  while  with  her.  Let 's 
not  go  away,  my  brother." 

"  Be  still,"  whispered  Norwanchakus.  "  Don't 
talk." 


220      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  My  brother,  I  'm  hungry.  Tell  her  to  give  us 
more  bread.  This  is  n't  enough." 

Norwanchakus  barely  tasted  the  bread,  but  Keriha 
ate  with  great  relish.  "  Now,  my  brother/'  said 
Norwanchakus,  "  we  must  go.  I  will  carry  you." 
He  put  his  brother  on  his  back,  drew  Keriha's  arms 
around  his  own  neck  closely,  and  started.  When 
they  were  almost  out  of  the  house,  Keriha  began  to 
struggle  and  kick. 

"  Let  me  go,  my  brother,"  said  he,  "  let  me  go  !  " 

Norwanchakus  held  him  firmly.  Keriha  pulled 
and  pulled  till  he  got  his  right  arm  free.  At  the 
door  was  a  large  basket  of  acorns.  He  seized  a 
handful  of  those  and  kept  them.  Norwanchakus 
went  out,  and  when  a  short  distance  from  the  house 
he  felt  the  ground  swaying,  rising,  and  falling.  He 
stopped  and  saw  the  earth  open  around  him  and 
sink  slowly.  Then  he  made  one  great  spring  and 
came  down  on  Bohem  Buli.  He  was  barely  on 
that  mountain  when  it  began  to  crack,  and  he  was 
sinking  again.  He  made  a  second  leap,  and  came 
down  far  away  southwest. 

Keriha  dropped  the  acorns,  and  the  earth  stopped 
opening  that  moment.  The  brothers  stayed  some 
time  in  the  southwest,  then  went  to  Tsik  Tepji. 
This  was  a  strong  eddy  of  the  river  in  which  it 
was  easy  to  catch  salmon.  They  made  a  brush 
hut  at  the  river  bank,  and  a  house  not  far  from  the 
river,  on  a  hill.  Norwanchakus  caught  a  great  many 
salmon,  and  Keriha  ate  and  ate ;  he  ate  all  the  time 
and  never  grew  larger.  Norwanchakus  scarcely  ate 
anything.  One  morning  Keriha  was  in  the  house 


Norwanchakus  and  Keriha  221 

while  his  brother  was  fishing.  A  stranger  came,  a 
very  small  man,  no  larger  than  a  boy  five  years 
old.  Keriha  looked  at  him,  then  jumped  up  and 
ran  to  his  brother. 

"  Oh,  my  brother/'  said  he,  "  some  one  has  come 
to  our  house."  Norwanchakus  said  nothing. 
"  There  is  some  one  at  our  house,"  repeated  Keriha. 

"  Did  he  say  anything  ? "   asked  Norwanchakus. 

"  No." 

"  Did  you  talk  to  him  ?  " 

«  No." 

"Why  not?" 

"  I  don't  like  him,  he  is  so  little." 

<c  Never  mind,  go  back  and  give  him  something 
to  eat ;  call  him  uncle." 

Keriha  went  back  and  stared  at  the  stranger. 
After  a  while  the  little  man  looked  up  and  asked,  — 

"  Why  do  you  look  at  me  so  ?  I  left  a  small  bag 
of  roots  north  of  the  house.  Would  you  bring  it 
here  ?  The  roots  are  very  good  to  eat." 

Keriha  went.  The  bag  was  small.  There  were 
roots  in  one  corner  of  it,  not  many.  He  snatched 
at  the  bag,  but  could  not  lift  it ;  he  tried  with  both 
hands,  could  n't  stir  it ;  tried  every  way,  could  n't 
move  it  ;  scratched  his  arms  and  legs  in  trying,  left 
the  bag,  and  went  back  without  it. 

"  I  cannot  lift  that  bag,"  said  he  to  the  little  man. 
"  How  did  you  bring  it,  you  are  so  small  ? " 

The  stranger,  who  was  Nodal  Monoko,  went  out, 
brought  the  bag  to  the  house  in  one  hand,  and  put 
it  down  outside.  Norwanchakus  knew  who  the 
stranger  was,  and  he  brought  up  a  great  sturgeon. 


222      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Keriha  cooked   the  fish,  put  it  down  before  their 
guest,  and  said,  "  Eat  this." 

The  little  man  said  nothing,  waited  till  the  fish 
was  cool,  then  raising  it  to  his  mouth  in  one  hand, 
he  swallowed  all  at  a  mouthful. 

Keriha  cooked  for  the  little  man  all  the  forenoon, 
while  Norwanchakus  was  fishing.  About  midday 
their  wood  was  nearly  all  burned. 

"  My  uncle,"  said  Keriha,  "we  are  going  to  cook 
a  great  deal  of  fish.  Would  you  help  me  and  bring 
wood?" 

The  little  man  said  nothing. 

"  My  uncle,  will  you  bring  wood  for  me  ?  "  asked 
Keriha. 

The  stranger  sat  a  while,  then  went  out  to  a 
mountain,  took  the  largest  dry  trees,  pulled  them 
up  by  the  roots  with  one  hand,  put  a  great  many 
in  a  pile,  and  tore  up  two  young  green  trees ;  with 
these  he  bound  the  dry  ones,  and  took  them  on  his 
shoulder  to  Keriha. 

Now  Keriha  saw  what  kind  of  person  the  little 
man  was.  He  cooked  salmon  and  sturgeon  till 
midnight  without  stopping,  and  still  the  little  man 
was  hungry.  Keriha  cooked  fish  the  whole  night, 
and  Nodal  Monoko  ate  till  daylight. 

Norwanchakus  came  up  from  the  river  next 
morning  and  said  to  the  little  man,  who  looked  as 
if  he  had  eaten  nothing, — 

"  My  uncle,  you  wish  to  go  home,  I  suppose.  If 
you  want  fish,  fill  your  bag ;  it  will  hold  a  couple  of 
good  ones.  The  fish  did  not  come  up  last  night  very 
well,  but  I  can  give  you  enough  to  fill  your  bag." 


Norwanchakus  and  Keriha  223 

So  saying,  Norwanchakus  went  back  to  the  fish 
ing-place.  Nodal  Monoko  went  out  and  emptied 
his  bag.  When  the  roots  were  thrown  out,  there 
was  a  pile  of  them  many  times  higher  and  bigger 
than  the  house.  It  covered  all  the  open  space, 
while  some  roots  rolled  down  the  hillside  and  fell 
into  the  river. 

Nodal  Monoko's  bag  would  hold  mountains. 
He  could  put  the  whole  world  into  it.  Nodal  took 
his  bag  to  the  river,  where  Norwanchakus  had  been 
fishing  all  night,  and  saw  salmon  in  piles  there. 

"  Take  all  the  salmon  you  can,"  said  Norwan 
chakus. 

The  stranger  put  two  hundred  salmon  in  one 
corner  of  his  bag,  two  hundred  more  in  the  other, 
two  hundred  in  the  middle  —  all  large  fish  —  and 
the  bottom  of  the  bag  was  hardly  covered.  He 
twisted  the  top  of  the  bag  then,  and  tied  it.  Nodal 
Monoko  had  a  beaver-skin  quiver.  In  this  he  was 
carrying  five  great  baskets  of  acorns,  each  basket 
holding  three  bushels,  and  these  acorns  filled  only 
the  very  tip  of  the  beaver  tail. 

He  went  down  to  the  river  to  swim  across. 

"  He  cannot  cross  the  river  with  that  bag  and 
quiver,"  said  Keriha. 

At  the  edge  of  the  water  Nodal  Monoko  took 
the  bag  and  quiver  in  one  hand,  and  swam  across 
with  the  other. 

The  two  brothers  stayed  fishing  at  Tsik  Tepji 
till  a  day  when  Keriha  said,  "  Let  us  go  up  the 
river,  my  brother."  They  went  to  Bohem  Tehil 
and  stopped  at  a  large  tree.  Keriha  hung  a  salmon 


224      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

on  a  limb  of  it.     "  I  will  watch  this  fish/*  said  he 
"  I  '11  see  if  Hubit  comes  here  to  eat  it." 

He  watched  that  day  from  dawn  till  dark ;  no 
one  came.  He  watched  five  days  more;  no  one. 
Five  other  days,  and  five  days  more,  and  then  five 
days,  —  twenty-one  in  all ;  he  saw  no  one. 

Next  morning  he  was  waiting,  when  all  at  once 
he  heard  a  noise,  and  looking  he  saw  Hubit  come 
from  the  west  and  go  to  the  salmon.  Norwan- 
chakus  sat  some  distance  away,  watching  Keriha. 

"  Oh,  my  brother,"  cried  Keriha,  "  Hubit  has 
come.  He  is  at  the  salmon.  What  shall  I  do?  I 
want  to  know  where  Hubit  lives,  I  want  to  see 
his  house.  I  must  follow  him." 

"My  brother,"  answered  Norwanchakus,  "you 
say  that  you  know  more  than  I.  You  think  that 
you  know  everything.  You  must  know  what  to  do 
with  Hubit." 

"  Oh,  my  brother,"  said  Keriha,  "  do  not  tease 
me.  Tell  me  quickly  what  I  am  to  do  with 
Hubit." 

"  Go  straight  south  to  a  level  place,  get  a  pawit, 
and  bring  it.  I  will  watch  Hubit  while  you  are 
gone." 

Keriha  brought  some  pawit  quickly.  "  Now 
what  shall  I  do  ?  " 

"  Stick  one  tuft  in  the  salmon's  tail,  and  fasten 
it  well,"  said  Norwanchakus.  "  Let  Hubit  carry 
off  the  fish.  You  can  see  the  tuft  far  away,  and 
follow." 

Keriha  fastened  the  tuft  to  the  salmon,  gave  the 
fish  to  Hubit,  and  watched.  Hubit  would  n't  bite, 


Norwanchakus  and  Keriha  225 

would  n't  taste.  Keriha  tried  all  day  to  make  him 
taste  the  salmon,  tried  a  second  day,  tried  five  days. 
Hubit  would  n't  even  bite  it.  On  the  sixth  day 
Keriha  said,  — 

"  Hubit,  why  are  you  here  ?  I  thought  you  came 
to  eat  salmon,  but  now  you  will  not  taste  it." 

Keriha  talked  five  days  more  to  Hubit,  ten  days 
in  all.  "  Hubit,  I  wish  you  would  eat  some  fish 
and  take  home  the  rest."  Hubit  made  no  answer. 

Five  days  more  Keriha  teased  him,  and  then  five 
days  longer,  twenty  days  in  all. 

"  Hubit,"  said  Keriha  on  the  twenty-first  day, 
cc  tell  me  what  you  are  going  to  do ;  I  'd  like  to 
know ; "  and  he  pushed  him.  Not  a  word  from 
Hubit.  cc  Are  you  asleep  or  dead  ?  "  asked  Keriha. 
"  Hubit,  you  make  me  so  angry  that  I  want  to  kill 
you." 

All  these  days  Keriha  had  watched  Hubit  from 
daylight  till  dark,  giving  him  no  chance  to  steal  the 
fish,  and  Hubit  wanted  salmon  so  much  that  he 
would  not  go  without  it.  Norwanchakus  sat  watch 
ing  Keriha. 

"  My  brother,"  said  Keriha,  "  I  cannot  make 
that  Hubit  take  the  salmon  ;  what  shall  I  do?  Tell 
me." 

Norwanchakus  said  nothing. 

"  I  am  getting  angry.  If  you  cannot  tell  me 
what  to  do,  I  will  kill  Hubit  to-morrow." 

"  Why  kill  Hubit  ?  You  have  teased  him  a  long 
time;  tease  him  a  little  longer.  How  will  you  find 
Hubit's  house,  if  you  kill  him  ?  " 

"  Hubit,  will  you  bite  this  salmon  ? "  asked 

15 


226      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Keriha,  next  morning.  "  I  have  bothered  long 
enough.  Will  you  bite  to-day?"  He  put  the 
salmon  to  Hubit's  mouth.  Hubit  bit  a  little. 
Keriha  lifted  the  salmon  with  Hubit  on  it,  and 
threw  it  in  the  air  to  make  Hubit  fly.  All  came 
down  like  a  stone.  Keriha  threw  it  a  second  time. 
It  fell  again.  He  tried  all  day. 

"  I  don't  know  what  kind  of  man  that  Hubit  is  ; 
he  won't  eat,  he  won't  talk,  won't  go  home,  won't 
do  anything,"  said  Keriha. 

Next  morning  he  said  to  Hubit :  "  Hubit,  what 
kind  of  person  are  you  ?  I  wish  you  would  go 
home." 

But  Hubit  would  n't  go  without  the  salmon,  and 
would  n't  take  it  for  fear  that  Keriha  would  follow 
him.  Keriha  threw  him  up  again  with  the  salmon. 
Again  he  fell  with  the  salmon,  and  he  teased  Hubit 
for  five  days  more.  On  the  sixth  morning  Hubit 
began  to  eat. 

"  Ah,  you  are  eating !  "  said  Keriha ;  cc  will  you 
go  to-day  ? " 

He  threw  the  salmon ;  it  fell  again.  Five  days 
more  he  tried.  Hubit  would  eat,  but  would  n't  fly. 
Now  he  had  tried  twenty  days  more.  On  the  twen 
tieth  evening  he  said  to  Norwanchakus,  "  I  will 
kill  Hubit  to-morrow." 

"  Oh,  you  are  not  angry,"  said  Norwanchakus. 
"  Play  with  him  a  little  longer.  You  want  to  know 
everything,  to  see  everything,  to  have  everything. 
You  ought  to  find  out  what  he  means  ;  he  has  some 
reason  for  doing  as  he  does." 

Next  morning   Keriha  went  to   Hubit.     "Will 


Norwanchakus  and  Keriha  227 

you  tell  me  what  you  are  going  to  do  ?  Unless  you 
tell  me  I  will  kill  you.  When  I  throw  you  up,  I 
will  kill  you  unless  you  fly." 

He  threw  up  the  salmon.  Hubit  moved  his 
wings  and  flew  along  a  little  above  the  ground,  then 
settled  down. 

"  Oh,  he  is  going  now,  he  is  going  !  I  'm  so 
glad,"  cried  Keriha;  and  he  threw  the  salmon  a 
second  time. 

Hubit  opened  his  wings  and  flew  around  Keriha, 
flew  around  the  tree. 

"  Go,  go  !  "  cried  Keriha,  clapping  his  hands. 

Hubit  shot  away  toward  the  north,  near  the 
ground,  and  Keriha  ran  with  all  speed,  but  Hubit 
went  far  ahead  ;  then  he  flew  a  little  toward  the  west, 
turned,  and  darted  off  directly  northward. 

Keriha  did  not  lose  sight  of  him,  but  rose  in  the 
air  and  flew  north,  going  parallel  with  Hubit  and 
going  faster.  He  was  at  the  sky  first.  A  moment 
later  Hubit  came. 

"  I  am  here  before  you  ! "  cried  out  Keriha. 
"  You  cannot  go  out  here  !  " 

Hubit  flew  around  a  while  and  shot  back  to 
Bohem  Tehil.  Keriha  was  just  behind  him. 

"  Hubit,  you  are  so  slow,"  called  out  Keriha. 
"  I  want  to  go  fast,  I  like  to  see  you  go  fast." 

Hubit  flew  around  the  tree  a  little,  then  darted  to 
the  south.  Keriha  went  a  little  to  one  side,  was  at 
the  south  before  him,  clapping  his  hands. 

"  No  escape  on  this  side,  Hubit ;  I  am  here  be 
fore  you." 

Hubit  turned  to  Bohem  Tehil.     From  the  tree 


228      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

he  rushed  east  to  where  the  sky  comes  down. 
Keriha  was  there  before  him.  He  rushed  to  the 
west,  to  where  the  sky  comes  down.  Keriha  was 
there  before  his  face,  barring  the  way.  Hubit  had 
been  at  all  four  points,  —  no  escape  at  any  of  them  ; 
still  he  would  n't  drop  the  salmon.  He  turned  a 
fifth  time  to  Bohem  Tehil  with  Keriha  behind  him. 
He  flew  around  the  tree  a  few  times,  then  rose 
straight  in  the  air,  carrying  the  salmon.  He  rose 
quickly,  went  very  high.  Keriha  stood  looking  at 
Hubit,  watched  him  growing  smaller  and  smaller. 
Keriha  shaded  his  eyes. 

Hubit  was  nearly  out  of  sight.  Keriha  could 
barely  see  him  with  the  salmon  and  the  tuft,  a  little 
spot  in  the  sky.  He  looked  very  hard,  strained  his 
eyes  till  blood  was  running  down  both  his  cheeks ; 
still  he  kept  looking. 

Hubit  thought  he  was  out  of  sight  now,  and  soon 
Keriha  saw  him  turn  to  the  west  and  come  down. 
When  he  was  above  Bohem  Buli,  he  dropped  straight 
to  it  on  the  north  side  and  went  in. 

"  I  'm  glad,  I  'm  glad.  Oh,  I  'm  so  glad  !  "  cried 
out  Keriha,  clapping  his  hands.  "  I  know  now 
where  Hubit' s  house  is.  Get  ready  quickly,  my 
brother,  we  will  go  and  see  Hubit.  Oh,  you  are 
so  slow,  my  brother,  I  can't  wait  for  you.  Come 
when  you  can  ;  I  '11  go  on  alone." 

Keriha  hurried  to  Bohem  Buli.  Norwanchakus 
followed,  and  saw  Keriha  doing  strange  things ; 
did  n't  know  what  he  was  doing  ;  wondered  at  him. 
He  was  dodging  from  side  to  side,  lying  down  and 
springing  up  again.  Norwanchakus  went  toward 
him. 


Norwanchakus  and  Keriha  229 

"  What  are  you  doing  ?  "  cried  he.  "  What  is 
the  matter !  " 

"  Don't  come  so  near,"  called  Keriha.  "  Stop, 
stop  !  " 

When  Hubit  dropped  down  to  his  house  in 
Bohem  Buli,  he  began  that  minute  to  make  it 
bigger.  He  was  hurling  out  immense  rocks,  and 
Keriha  was  dodging  them.  They  came  quickly  one 
after  another  (there  are  many  of  those  rocks  now  all 
around  Bohem  Buli,  at  Puitiel  Ton,  at  Waikidi  Pom, 
and  on  the  west  beyond  Tayam  Norel).  After  the 
rocks  Hubit  hurled  out  great  showers  of  earth  ; 
then  he  stopped. 

"  How  shall  I  get  at  that  Hubit?  "  asked  Keriha 
of  his  brother. 

"  Go  south  to  a  level  valley  where  sakkus  grows. 
Get  the  tops  of  that  plant." 

Keriha  brought  plenty  of  sakkus  tops  quickly. 

"  Go  now  to  Halat  Pom,  in  the  east,  and  bring 
the  longest  vines  possible." 

Keriha  brought  ten  very  long  vines  and  made  a 
rope  of  them,  and  tied  it  around  a  great  bundle  of 
sakkus  tops,  to  which  he  set  fire,  and  then  lowered 
the  bundle.  He  stopped  the  door  with  grass  and 
sticks.  Soon  there  was  a  great  rumbling,  strug 
gling,  and  roaring  in  Hubit's  house.  After  a  while 
it  stopped  and  all  was  still. 

"  Now,  my  brother,"  said  Keriha,  "  Hubit  is 
dead,  and  I  am  going  to  have  his  honeycombs." 

He  took  a  large  sharp  stone,  drew  a  great  circle 
around  the  entrance  to  Hubit's  house,  and  said: 
cc  You,  Hubit's  honeycomb,  be  as  large  as  this  circle 


230      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

is.  Now,  my  brother,"  said  he,  "  you  can  go  to 
Bohem  Tehil.  I  will  come  soon." 

Norwanchakus  went  home.  Keriha  began  to 
dig,  found  many  combs,  dug  till  night,  stayed  all 
night  in  Hubit's  house  —  stayed  there  digging 
honey  and  eating,  for  twenty-five  days. 

Norwanchakus  waited  at  home  for  his  brother, 
waited  that  evening  till  midnight,  waited  till  morning, 
saw  no  sign  of  Keriha.  He  waited  the  next  day ; 
then  two,  three,  five  days ;  then  twenty  days  more. 

"  Well,"  said  Norwanchakus,  "  I  can  do  nothing. 
Perhaps  he  is  dead,  perhaps  he  is  working  yet." 

On  the  twenty-sixth  night  after  Hubit's  death, 
some  one  came  into  the  house.  Norwanchakus 
looked  up.  It  was  Keriha. 

After  that  the  two  brothers  went  to  Puri  Buli. 
At  the  foot  of  the  mountain  they  saw  some  one  half 
sitting,  half  lying,  and  looking  at  them.  When 
they  came  nearer,  it  went  into  an  opening. 

"  My  brother,"  said  Keriha,  "  I  want  that." 

"  Nothing  can  pass  you,"  said  the  elder  brother. 
"  You  want  everything.  You  would  better  let  this 

go-" 

Keriha  paid  no  heed  to  Norwanchakus :  he  split 

the  earth  with  his  little  finger  and  killed  the  stranger, 
a  Supchit.  He  skinned  the  body  and  said,  "  I  think 
that  this  skin  will  be  warm ;  I  will  sleep  on  it." 

"  My  brother,"  said  Norwanchakus,  "  you  are 
the  only  person  who  has  ever  killed  a  Supchit  — 
you  may  be  sorry." 

Next  morning  a  terrible  snow  came.  It  snowed 
five  days  and  nights ;  everything  was  buried  under 


Norwanchakus  and  Keriha 


231 


snow.  Keriha  and  Norwanchakus  lay  twenty-one 
days  under  the  snow  without  food.  On  the  twenty- 
first  night,  the  Supchit  woman  whom  Keriha  had 
killed  came  and  stole  him  away. 

Next  morning  Norwanchakus  looked  outside. 
Keriha  was  gone  ;  the  snow  was  gone.  He  looked 
for  tracks,  looked  all  day,  found  no  tracks.  He 
searched  five  days,  ten,  twenty  days  —  searched  all 
the  mountains,  went  down  the  rivers,  up  the  rivers, 
north,  south,  east,  west.  He  searched  one  year, 
found  neither  track  nor  trail ;  searched  ten  years, 
then  ten  years  more ;  inquired  of  every  one  in  all 
the  world  —  no  one  knew  of  Keriha. 

At  last  he  went  back  to  the  house  where  Keriha 
had  been  lost  to  see  if  there  was  track  or  trail  there. 
Behind  Keriha's  sleeping-place  he  saw  a  large  stone. 
He  raised  it,  found  an  opening  and  a  passage  slop 
ing  northward,  saw  tracks  made  when  the  Supchit 
woman  took  Keriha  away.  He  went  into  the  pas 
sage,  followed  the  trail  till  he  came  to  the  top  of 
Bohem  Puyuk.  He  came  out  on  the  top,  went  in 
again  and  followed  a  trail  going  south ;  followed  it, 
winding  west  and  east,  till  he  came  out  at  Waikidi 
Pom.  There  he  saw  tracks  on  the  ground,  lost 
them,  found  them  again,  found  them  going  under 
the  ground,  travelled  under  the  ground,  came  out, 
lost  and  found  tracks  till  he  lost  them  for  good. 

He  inquired  in  the  west  for  five  years  without 
finding  trail  or  tidings  of  Keriha.  At  last  he  said, — 

"  I  have  asked  every  one  in  this  world,  except 
my  two  cousins  Lasaswa  at  Lasan  Holok." 

He  turned  east,  then,  and  went  to  Lasan  Holok, 


232      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

near  Pas  Puisono,  where  he  found  a  big  house  with 
a  door  on  the  south  side.  One  old  man  was  sitting 
on  the  east,  and  another  on  the  west  side  of  the  door. 
The  house  was  full  of  people.  The  two  old  men 
were  rubbing  their  thighs  and  rolling  something. 
All  the  people  inside  were  doing  the  same,  all  were 
making  ropes. 

Five  years  before  these  old  men  had  heard  that 
Norwanchakus  had  lost  his  brother.  All  people 
had  been  telling  one  another  that  Norwanchakus 
was  looking  for  Keriha.  As  soon  as  the  old  men 
heard  of  this,  they  began  to  make  ropes. 

Norwanchakus  stood  in  the  door,  and  raised  one 
foot  to  walk  in. 

"  Don't  step  this  way ;  step  east,"  said  the  old 
man  on  the  west. 

"  Don't  step  this  way ;  step  west,"  said  the  old 
man  on  the  east. 

"  I  '11  go  straight  ahead,"  thought  Norwanchakus. 

"  Don't  come  this  way  !  Don't  come  this  way  !  " 
cried  all  those  in  front. 

One  small  boy  was  sitting  behind  all  the  others. 
As  shreds  of  fibre  dropped  from  the  hands  of  those 
in  front,  he  picked  them  up  and  twisted  them  into 
a  rope. 

"  I  suppose  you  have  been  travelling  a  long  time, 
my  grandson,"  said  the  old  man  on  the  west  side  of 
the  door. 

"  I  have  travelled  a  very  long  time,  and  have 
come  at  last  to  talk  with  you.  I  have  asked  all 
who  live  on  this  earth  about  my  brother,  and  no 
one  can  tell  me  where  Keriha  is." 


Norwanchakus  and  Keriha  233 

"  We  heard  about  your  brother  five  years  ago," 
said  the  old  men,  "  and  we  told  our  sons  to  make 
ropes  because  you  had  lost  Keriha." 

"  How  much  rope  have  you  made  ?  " 

"  We  can  tell  to-morrow." 

Next  morning  they  cleared  a  broad  space  in  front 
of  the  house.  While  they  were  doing  this,  Nor 
wanchakus  said  to  the  rope-makers, — 

"  I  wish  you  would  send  for  Tsiwihl,  an  old 
man  near  by  here." 

They  brought  him  quickly.  After  Tsiwihl  came, 
Norwanchakus  said, — 

"  I  want  some  of  you  young  men  to  try  to  go  up 
and  ask  Sas  if  he  knows  where  my  brother  is.  I 
think  Sas  must  know." 

"  I  will  try  first,"  said  the  old  man  at  the  western 
side  of  the  door ;  "  I  think  that  I  have  the  longest 
rope." 

"  I  will  give  you  something  for  Sas,"  said  Nor 
wanchakus.  "  Here  is  an  arrow-straightener,  a  head 
band  of  silver  gray-fox  skin,  and  a  fire-drill.  If  you 
go  to  the  top  of  the  sky,  you  will  see  a  road  from 
east  to  west.  Sit  at  the  south  side  of  it  under  a  to 
bacco  tree  which  is  there.  Soon  Sas  will  come  from 
the  east,  going  west.  He  will  stop  at  the  tree. 
Give  him  the  three  things." 

The  old  man  brought  out  a  great  coil  of  rope  to 
unwind  and  go  up  with  it. 

"  Who  is  to  stand  and  watch  ?  "  asked  the  other 
old  man. 

"  Tsiwihl,"  said  Norwanchakus. 

Tsiwihl  put  oak  leaves  near  the  coil,  lay  on  them, 


234     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

and  looked  up.  Old  Lasasswa  took  one  end  of  his 
rope,  pulled  it,  and  started.  The  rope  was  un 
winding,  and  he  was  going  up.  Tsiwihl  kept  his 
eyes  on  Lasaswa.  After  a  while  he  said,  "  Lasaswa 
is  half-way  up."  A  little  later  he  said,  "  He  is  more 
than  half-way  up  !  " 

"  But  the  rope  is  gone,"  said  Norwanchakus. 

"  Lasaswa  is  coming  down,"  said  Tsiwihl. 

The  old  man  came  to  the  ground.  "  My  rope  is 
too  short.  Some  one  else  must  try  now,"  said  he. 

"  I  will  try,"  said  the  other  old  man.  This  one 
had  more  rope.  Five  men  had  to  help  him  roll 
it  out  of  the  house,  there  was  so  much.  He  took 
the  presents  for  Sas  and  began  to  go  up. 

Tsiwihl  watched  closely.  The  rope  was  unwind 
ing  and  Lasaswa  was  going  up.  "He  is  half-way 
up  !  "  said  Tsiwihl ;  "  he  is  near  where  the  first  man 
was."  Tsiwihl  moved  his  head  a  little,  but  never 
lost  sight  of  Lasaswa.  "  He  is  as  high  as  the  other 
was  ;  he  is  higher ;  he  is  going  still  higher  !  " 

"  But  the  rope  has  given  out,"  said  Norwanchakus. 

"  He  is  coming  down  !  "  cried  Tsiwihl. 

All  were  looking  at  the  sky  except  the  small  boy, 
who  was  inside  making  rope  as  before. 

"  We  are  old,"  said  the  second  Lasaswa ;  cc  our 
ropes  are  too  short.  You  young  men  must  try 


to-morrow." 


Each  old  man  had  nine  sons.  Each  person  was 
one  day  making  the  trial  —  all  were  twenty  days 
trying  —  no  one  had  a  rope  long  enough.  "  What 
shall  we  do  now  ? "  asked  the  old  men  on  the 
twenty-first  day. 


Norwanchakus  and  Keriha  235 

"  There  is  a  boy  in  the  house  making  rope  yet ; 
let  him  try,"  said  Norwanchakus. 

"  Oh,  he  is  only  playing.  He  has  n't  much 
rope ;  he  just  makes  ropes  of  the  shreds  that  others 
throw  away,"  said  one  of  the  old  men. 

"  Go  in  and  ask  him,"  said  the  second  old  man. 

Norwanchakus  went  in  and  said,  cc  You  are  a 
small  boy,  but  will  you  try  your  rope  for  me  ?  "  and 
he  took  hold  of  the  boy's  hand.  He  kept  his  rope 
in  a  little  basket.  When  Norwanchakus  took  his 
hand,  he  seized  the  basket  with  the  other  hand  and 
carried  it  out. 

"  Why  do  they  bring  out  that  little  boy  ?  "  cried 
the  young  men.  "  He  has  n't  any  rope.  We  had 
long  ropes,  and  all  were  too  short ;  his  rope  is  only 
to  play  with." 

"My  cousin,"  said  Norwanchakus,  "you  are 
small,  but  I  think  you  know  something.  Here  are 
three  presents.  When  you  reach  the  sky,  give  them 
to  Sas."  Then  he  told  him  what  to  do. 

When  Norwanchakus  had  finished,  the  boy  bowed 
his  head  and  said  "  Yes  "  to  him.  "  You  men  have 
long  ropes,  but  they  were  too  short.  My  rope 
may  not  reach  the  sky,  but  I  will  try ;"  and  he 
started. 

Tsiwihl's  breast  and  stomach  were  as  blue  now 
as  the  sky,  and  blood  was  trickling  from  his  eyes, 
he  had  looked  so  long  and  so  hard.  After  the  boy 
was  some  distance  up,  those  below  could  not  see 
him,  and  they  said  to  Tsiwihl,  "  Tell  us,  tell  us 
often  what  he  is  doing." 

After  a  while  Tsiwihl  said :  "  He   is   almost  as 


236     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

high  as  the  others  were.  He  is  as  high  ;  he  is  as 
high  as  the  highest  was." 

They  looked  at  his  rope.  There  seemed  to  be 
more  than  when  he  started.  It  seemed  to  grow  all 
the  time. 

"  He  is  higher  than  any  —  he  is  going  and  going." 

"  Do  not  lose  sight  of  him,"  said  Norwanchakus. 

Tsiwihl's  eyes  were  full  of  blood. 

"How  much  rope  is  there?"  asked  Norwan 
chakus. 

"  Oh,  there  is  plenty  of  rope,"  cried  the  others. 

"  He  is  going  and  going,"  said  Tsiwihl. 

"  How  far  up  is  he  ?     Can  you  see  him  ?  " 

"He  is  high,  very  high,  almost  as  high  as  I  can 
see  —  he  is  nearly  at  the  sky." 

"  He  will  go  to  it,  he  will  go  to  it !  "  cried  some. 

"  He  is  at  the  sky,"  said  Tsiwihl.  "  He  is  there, 
he  is  there  !  He  has  his  hand  on  it  —  he  is  on  the 
top  of  it  —  he  is  there  !  " 

There  was  plenty  of  rope  on  the  ground  yet. 

"  Well,"  said  one  of  the  old  men,  "  he  is  on  the 
sky.  He  never  talked  much,  that  little  boy,  or 
seemed  to  know  much,  but  he  has  gone  to  a  place 
where  we  could  not  go." 

The  sun  was  almost  half-way  up  in  the  sky. 
Tsiwihl  lay  watching,  watching,  looking  hard.  Sas 
had  passed  the  middle  of  the  sky  when  Tsiwihl  said : 
"  I  see  the  boy.  He  is  coming  down,  he  is 
coming  nearer  and  nearer." 

Soon  all  could  see  him.  At  last  he  was  standing 
on  the  ground. 

"  Now,   my  cousin,"   said   Norwanchakus,   "  tell 


Norwanchakus  and  Keriha 


237 


me.  Let  me  know  what  you  saw  and  what  you 
heard.  What  do  you  think  of  that  country  up 
there  ?  " 

"  I  went  to  the  top,"  said  the  boy.  "  The 
country  up  there  is  good.  I  saw  a  road  from  east 
to  west.  I  went  east  a  little,  and  at  the  south  of 
the  road  saw  a  tobacco  tree.  I  sat  under  the  tree 
and  looked  east.  Far  off  I  saw  an  old  man  coming 
with  a  pack  on  his  back.  I  sat  watching  him.  At 
last  he  came  to  where  I  was  and  passed  without 
looking  at  me,  went  forward  a  little,  stopped,  put 
down  his  pack  on  the  south  side  of  the  road,  and 
then  came  toward  me.  I  was  sitting  with  my  face 
to  the  north.  He  sat  down  at  my  left  side,  looked 
at  me,  looked  at  the  headband,  the  fire-drill,  and  the 
straightener,  and  laughed.  c  What  are  you  doing 
here  ? '  asked  he.  c  From  what  place  are  you  ?  How 
did  you  come  up  to  this  land,  where  no  one  ever 
travels  but  me,  where  I  have  never  seen  any  one  ? 
You  are  small.  How  could  you  come  here?'  cl 
am  here/  answered  I,  c  because  Norwanchakus  sent 
me.  He  sent  me  because  he  has  lost  his  brother, 
Keriha.  He  has  looked  for  him  all  over  the  world, 
has  asked  every  one,  and  no  one  knows  about 
Keriha.  He  sent  me  here  to  ask  you  about  Keriha. 
He  said  that  you  must  know,  for  you  look  over  the 
whole  world,  see  all  people,  see  everything/  I  put 
the  three  things  down  before  him  and  said, c  Norwan 
chakus  told  me  to  give  you  these  things  for  your 
trouble  in  telling  about  Keriha.'  Sas  smiled  again, 
took  up  the  headband,  the  fire-drill  and  straightener, 
held  them  in  his  hand,  and  said :  c  These  are  good 


238     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

—  I  know  all  that  is  passing  in  the  world.  I  know 
where  Keriha  is.  I  have  seen  him  every  day  since 
he  went  from  his  brother  —  I  know  where  he  is 
now.  The  Supchit  woman  took  him  one  night, 
took  him  under  the  ground,  came  out  on  the  top 
of  Bohem  Puyuk,  went  down  again,  came  out, 
travelled  by  crooked  roads  westward,  crossed  the 
bridge  made  of  one  hair,  went  under  the  sky  to  the 
other  side,  to  the  middle  house  in  a  large  village. 
She  put  Keriha  in  a  little  room  in  that  house ;  he 
has  been  there  ever  since,  he  is  there  now.  He  is 
very  weak  and  will  die  to-morrow  unless  some  one 
saves  him.  Tell  Norwanchakus  to  start  to-night 
and  be  there  in  the  morning  if  he  wants  to  save 
Keriha/  " 

"  Then  Sas  put  his  hand  in  his  bosom  and  took 
out  a  kolchi  bisi  [sky  cap],  gave  it  to  me,  and  said, 
c  Take  this  to  Norwanchakus,  and  tell  him  to  give  it 
to  Tsiwihl  for  his  trouble/  Sas  gave  me  also  a 
piece  of  the  sky.  c  This  is  for  Tsiwihl,  too/  said 
he ;  c  let  him  wear  it  on  his  breast  for  a  blue 
facing/  * 

Norwanchakus  gave  these  to  Tsiwihl,  and  then 
made  him  a  blanket  of  oak  leaves.  He  wears  all 
these  things  to  this  day. 

"  My  cousin,  are  you  sure  that  Sas  said  this  ? " 
asked  Norwanchakus. 

"  I  am  sure.     Sas  told  me  all  this." 

"Wait  now,  my  cousin."  Norwanchakus  went 
northeast,  stretched  his  hand  out;  an  armful  of 
kuruti  (silkweed  which  grows  at  the  end  of  the 
world)  came  on  it.  "  Now,  my  cousin,"  said  he, 


Norwanchakus  and  Keriha  239 

"  I  will  pay  you  well  for  your  trouble.  All  your 
life  you  can  make  as  much  rope  as  you  like  of  this 
kuruti,  and  you  can  go  up  on  it  anywhere,  —  north, 
south,  east,  or  west." 

Norwanchakus  started  at  midnight,  and  went 
westward  quickly.  He  knew  the  way  well.  He 
crossed  ridges  and  valleys,  passed  places  where  he 
had  found  tracks  of  Keriha  and  lost  them,  went  to 
the  bridge  of  one  hair,  sprang  from  the  bank  to 
the  middle  of  the  bridge.  The  bridge  swayed  and 
swayed.  Underneath  was  a  wide,  rushing  river,  but 
Norwanchakus  did  not  fall.  With  one  spring  more 
he  touched  the  other  bank,  ran  swiftly  till  he 
reached  the  big  village  beyond  the  sky.  He  saw 
the  chief  house,  ran  in  through  its  door  at  the  east, 
went  to  the  little  room,  and  found  Keriha  with  his 
head  on  the  palm  of  the  Supchit  woman's  hand. 
He  caught  his  brother  and  rushed  out,  shot  past  all 
the  people,  and  stopped  only  when  he  was  far  out 
side  the  village. 

"  Now,  my  brother,"  said  he,  "  you  told  me 
always  that  you  knew  something  great,  that  you 
wanted  to  do  something  great,  that  you  wanted  to 
be  something  great.  What  have  you  been  doing 
here  thirty  years  ?  I  have  looked  for  you  every 
where.  You  never  let  me  know  where  you  were." 

"  Oh,  my  brother,"  said  Keriha,  "  I  am  so 
drowsy,  I  was  sleeping,  I  didn't  know  where  I 
was." 

Norwanchakus  crossed  the  river  at  a  bound,  with 
out  touching  the  bridge  of  one  hair.  He  went  on 
then,  never  stopped  till  he  reached  Keri  Buli. 


240     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Next  morning  at  daybreak  Keriha  heard  a  voice 
from  above.  The  voice  said,  — 

"  Leave  that  place,  Norwanchakus  and  Keriha. 
The  world  will  change  soon.  You  two  must  come 
here.  Leave  that  place  down  there  quickly." 

"  Now,  my  brother,"  said  Keriha,  "  you  are  so 
slow,  I  don't  know  where  you  wish  to  go,  or  what 
you  want  to  do." 

"  My  brother,"  said  Norwanchakus,  "  I  will  do 
the  best  I  can,  and  do  you  do  the  best  you  can. 
We  have  finished  our  work  here.  People  to  come 
will  know  the  names  that  you  gave  to  rivers,  moun 
tains,  rocks,  and  hills.  Hereafter  they  will  call 
these  places  by  the  names  we  gave  them." 

While  in  this  world  Keriha  wore  a  duck-skin,  and 
when  they  were  ready  to  go  he  threw  off  this  skin 
on  the  other  side  of  Bohema  Mem,  and  from  it 
have  come  all  the  ducks  on  the  rivers  of  this 
country. 

Norwanchakus  had  always  carried  his  ash  stick 
from  the  fish-net.  When  he  was  going,  he  thrust  it 
into  the  ground  at  Tsarau  Heril.  "  I  will  leave  this 
here,"  said  he,  "  and  people  to  come  will  make  pipes 
of  it."  There  is  plenty  of  ash  to  this  day  in  Tsarau 
Heril. 

At  the  other  side  of  the  sky  the  brothers  parted. 
Norwanchakus  went  up  on  high,  and  stayed  there. 
Keriha  went  far  away  to  the  east,  and  is  living 
there  now. 


KELE    AND    SEDIT 


16 


KELE   AND   SEDIT 


PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given   that  of  the  creature   or  thing  into 
which  the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Hinwu,  big  owl;  Kele,  mountain  wolf;  Kler6u  Lulimet,  wild  lily; 
Pili  Lulimet,  reed  grass  blossom ;  Pokok,  ground  owl  ;  Pom  Piweki, 

crooked  land;  Satok  Pokaila, ;    Sas,  the  sun;  Tsurat,  red-headed 

woodpecker ;   Tunhlucha,  frog. 


IN  Puidal  Winnem  lived  Kele.  Olelbis  built  a 
great  sweat-house  there,  and  told  him  to  stay  in 
it.  Kele  was  old  and  lived  all  alone  in  that  place ; 
lived  there  a  long  time,  thinking,  making  up  his 
mind  what  to  do,  —  he  was  lonely  and  thirsty. 
"Why  did  Olelbis  put  me  here?"  thought  he. 

Once  he  rose  about  daybreak,  hurried  out,  went 
westward,  went  to  a  creek.  A  great  clump  of 
mountain  maples  stood  near  the  bank.  Kele  saw  a 
straight  stick  among  all  the  others.  He  cut  the 
stick,  drew  it  out,  and  took  off  a  short  piece.  On 
the  way  home  he  split  the  stick,  smoothed  it,  and 
fixed  it  as  he  walked.  He  put  the  two  sticks  over 
head  in  the  sweat-house,  went  out  a  second  time, 
found  a  white  oak  sapling,  firm  and  strong,  cut  a 
piece  two  feet  long  from  it,  put  it  at  the  hearth. 
The  next  day  he  lay  with  his  back  to  the  fire,  lay 
there  all  night  without  sleeping.  Just  before  day 
break  he  heard  steps,  and  was  struck  on  the  back. 


244     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

A  minute  later  he  was  struck  again  in  the  same 
place.  The  old  man  rose  then  and  made  a  good 
fire  of  manzanita  wood. 

It  was  daylight,  and  Kele  said :  "  My  children, 
come  to  the  fire,  warm  yourselves,  sweat,  and  then 
swim  in  the  creek/' 

Two  girls  came  to  the  fire,  warmed  themselves 
standing,  and  soon  they  were  sweating  from  heat. 

"  My  daughters,"  said  Kele,  "  there  is  a  creek 
near  here.  Go  and  swim  in  it." 

These  girls  were  from  the  stick  that  Kele  had 
split  in  two  parts  and  put  in  the  house  wall.  The 
girls  bathed  in  the  creek,  came  back,  and  were  good- 
looking.  When  they  came  in,  Kele  brought  venison 
for  his  two  daughters  to  eat. 

"  My  daughters,"  said  the  old  man,  "  I  will  tell 
you  something.  You  must  go  to  work,  do  good 
things.  There  are  roots  in  the  woods  all  around 
us,  roots  fit  for  food.  You  need  to  walk.  Go  out 
and  get  roots."  They  went  out  to  dig  wild  lily 
roots.  After  that  they  went  every  morning. 

Soon  they  began  to  say :  cc  We  should  like  to 
have  other  food ;  we  should  like  to  have  game  to 
eat.  We  saw  mountain  quail  to-day ;  we  saw 
deer."  At  last  they  talked  this  way  every  night. 
Kele  listened,  thinking  what  to  do.  These  girls 
had  a  nice  bed  made  of  skins,  and  they  talked  every 
night  to  each  other  ;  but  one  night  they  went  to  bed 
early  and  fell  asleep  right  away.  Kele  had  wished 
them  to  sleep ;  that  is  why  they  fell  asleep  quickly. 
He  hurried  down  to  some  mountain-ash  trees,  went 
to  the  middle  of  them,  and  cut  off  five  sticks.  He 


Kele  and  Sedit  245 


whittled  these,  made  them  smooth,  cut  each  in  two. 
He  had  ten  smooth  sticks  then.  Next  he  cut  five 
other  sticks.  These  he  left  rough ;  cut  them  also 
in  two ;  had  ten  of  them.  Kele  placed  the  twenty 
sticks  overhead  in  the  house  on  the  north  side,  and 
lay  with  his  back  to  the  fire.  The  fire  was  a  good 
one,  a  hot  manzanita  fire.  His  club  of  green  oak 
was  there  at  the  fireplace. 

Kele  lay  without  sleeping  and  waited.  He  was 
awake  and  was  thinking.  The  two  girls  were  sound 
asleep  all  the  time.  Just  before  daybreak  he  heard 
a  sound  as  if  some  barefooted  person  had  sprung 
from  above  to  the  floor.  Next  moment  some  one 
took  the  club  and  struck  him.  Another  came 
down  in  the  same  way  and  struck  him. .  Ten  times 
he  was  struck  with  the  club. 

The  ten  smooth  sticks  had  turned  into  people. 
Each  man  gave  him  a  blow,  went  to  the  wall  of  the 
house,  and  sat  there.  Kele  did  not  rise  yet.  He 
heard  some  one  barefoot  jump  down  and  seize  the 
club.  This  one  hit  Kele  once.  A  second  one 
sprang  down  and  hit  him  twice,  a  third  three  times, 
a  fourth  four  times,  and  so  on  to  the  tenth,  who 
struck  him  ten  times.  There  were  twenty  in  all ; 
ten  from  the  smooth  and  ten  from  the  rough 
sticks. 

The  first  ten  sticks  he  had  whittled  smooth,  and 
they  made  ten  good  sons,  but  from  the  ten  un- 
trimmed  sticks  came  ten  rough,  uproarious  sons. 
Kele  had  n't  smoothed  them,  and  they  struck  him 
many  times.  When  the  tenth  rough  son  struck 
him  the  last  blow,  Kele  stood  up  and  made  a  big 


246     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

fire ;  he  could  barely  move,  he  had  been  so  beaten 
with  the  club.  He  lay  down  then  and  said, — 

"  Now,  my  boys,  come  here ;  warm  yourselves, 
dance  and  sweat,  then  go  to  the  creek  to  swim,  and 
come  here  again."  He  sang  then,  and  made  his 
sons  dance.  The  boys  danced,  and  hurried  to  the 
creek  to  swim,  shouting  as  they  went.  They  came 
back  to  the  sweat-house  good-looking  persons. 

The  two  girls  rose  now.  They  knew  already 
what  their  father  had  done. 

"  Go,  my  daughters,  and  cook  for  your  brothers/' 
said  Kele. 

The  two  sisters  made  the  food  ready  and  placed 
it  before  their  brothers. 

"  Now,  my  sons,  eat  what  we  have,"  said  Kele. 
"You  will  go  out  after  that,  you  will  hunt,  and 
bring  game." 

The  first  ten,  the  smooth  men,  had  good  sense ; 
the  second  ten  were  inferior  ;  the  ninth  and  tenth 
of  the  second  ten  were  very  bad.  The  first  ten  took 
each  only  one  mouthful;  of  the  second  ten,  the  first 
took  one  mouthful,  the  second  two,  the  third  three, 
and  so  on  to  the  tenth,  who  took  ten  mouthfuls. 
After  that  they  sat  back  and  made  ready  to  go  out. 

"  What  are  we  to  do  ?  "  asked  the  first  ten. 
"  We  have  nothing  to  hunt  with." 

Kele  brought  out  bows  and  quivers  with  arrows, 
and  gave  them  to  each  ;  gave  five  ropes  to  them 
also,  ropes  of  grass  fibre.  "  You  are  armed  now," 
said  Kele ;  and  he  showed  them  where  to  set  snares 
for  deer. 

They  went  far  down  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain 


Kele  and  Sedit  247 


and  set  snares.  The  ten  smooth  brothers  stood  on 
the  mountain  top  ;  the  second  ten,  who  were  rough, 
drove  the  deer.  "  You  must  shout  so  that  we  can 
hear  you  all  the  time,"  said  the  smooth  brothers. 
Toward  evening  the  smooth  brothers  saw  deer  in 
the  snares.  The  smooth  ten  took  the  bodies,  the 
best  of  the  game ;  the  rough  ten  the  legs,  ears, 
horns,  all  the  poor  parts.  The  smooth  ten  took 
the  best  meat  to  the  house  ;  the  rough  ten  made  a 
great  uproar  —  they  had  little  sense.  The  two  sis 
ters  cooked  roots  and  venison  for  all. 

Next  morning  Kele  made  a  big  fire  of  manzanita 
wood.  "  Be  up,  my  boys,"  called  he.  "  Go  and 
swim."  That  day  the  twenty  stayed  at  home,  and 
the  sisters  went  for  roots. 

They  lived  this  way  a  long  time,  the  brothers 
hunting,  the  sisters  digging  roots  and  cooking,  till 
at  last  the  sisters  wished  to  see  other  persons  besides 
their  brothers.  One  day  when  they  went  for  roots 
they  sat  down  on  the  mountain  slope.  "  What  are 
we  to  do  ?  "  said  one  sister ;  "  we  wish  to  see  people, 
we  see  no  one  now  but  our  brothers  and  father." 

That  evening,  when  all  had  lain  down,  the  elder 
sister  went  to  Kele  and  sat  near  him.  "  My  father," 
said  she,  "  I  wish  to  know  my  name." 

cc  Your  name  is  Klereu  Lulimet,"  said  Kele ; 
"your  sister's  name  is  Pili  Lulimet." 

She  told  her  sister  what  their  names  were.  Both 
liked  the  names,  and  were  glad  to  have  them. 
Every  day  the  men  sweated  and  swam,  killed  deer 
and  snared  them.  The  sisters  dug  lily  roots  and 
cooked  them. 


248     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

One  time  instead  of  digging  roots  they  went  high 
on  the  mountain  side  and  sat  there,  sat  looking 
westward.  They  could  see  very  far,  and  things 
seemed  right  there  before  them,  though  away  off 
near  the  edge  of  the  great  western  water. 

This  was  the  first  time  that  the  sisters  had  a 
chance  to  see  far.  Till  that  day  they  had  only  a 
mountain  slope  or  a  forest  opening  in  front  of  them  ; 
now  they  had  the  whole  country  to  look  at.  Just 
after  midday  they  saw  a  man  going  northward,  going 
slowly. 

"  What  a  nice  man  that  is  !  Look  at  him/'  said 
one  sister  to  the  other. 

He  stopped  all  at  once,  seemed  to  sit  down  and 
disappear  through  the  earth.  That  day  they  saw 
him  no  more. 

"  Oh,  we  should  like  to  see  that  man,"  said  the 
sisters,  "  and  talk  to  him."  They  watched,  talked, 
and  forgot  to  dig  roots.  At  last,  a  short  time  be 
fore  sunset,  they  said,  "  Let  us  go  for  roots ! " 
They  ran  down  the  mountain,  dug  a  basketful 
quickly,  and  hurried  home. 

"  Oh,  father,  will  you  teach  us  how  to  sing  ?  " 
said  the  younger  sister  to  Kele  that  evening.  "  We 
tried  all  day  to  sing.  I  tried  to  teach  my  sister, 
she  tried  to  teach  me.  We  could  do  nothing." 

"You  can  sing  this  way,"  said  Kele,  and  he 
began,  — 

"  O  wi,  no  a,  O  wi,  no  i, 
O  wi,  no  a,  O  wi,  no  i." 

"  That  is  good,"  said  she,  going  away.  She  said 
nothing  to  her  sister  and  lay  down. 


Kele  and  Sedit  249 


Soon  after  the  twenty  brothers  came.  Ten  of 
them  made  a  great  noise.  The  house  just  trembled 
and  shook  from  the  uproar.  The  second  ten  had 
smeared  themselves  with  deer  blood,  hung  deer  en 
trails  around  their  necks.  They  looked  wild  and 
ferocious.  When  inside,  they  were  quiet ;  in  going 
out  and  coming  in  they  always  rushed  and  shouted. 

Next  morning  Kele  kept  the  twenty  brothers  in 
the  sweat-house.  "  Rest  a  day/*  said  he. 

The  sisters  went  to  the  mountain  top  and  looked 
westward.  Soon  they  saw  some  one  go  toward  the 
north,  as  on  the  first  day. 

"  Did  our  father  tell  you  how  to  sing  ? "  asked 
the  elder  sister. 

"  He  did,  but  I  have  forgotten." 

She  tried  to  remember  the  song,  and  soon  after  it 
came  to  her,  — 

"  O  wi,  no  a,  O  wi,  no  i, 
O  wi,  no  a,  O  wi,  no  i." 

"  This  is  the  way  our  father  sang,"  said  she. 
"  You  try  it,  sister." 

The  elder  began ;  soon  both  sang  together. 

"  Oh,  we  have  a  nice  song  now,"  said   they. 

Their  song  went  straight  to  where  the  man  was,  a 
long  distance.  This  man  was  Sedit.  He  was  get 
ting  red  earth  far  acorn  bread.  Water  soaked 
through  red  earth  was  used  to  moisten  acorn  meal. 
Sedit  was  covered  with  shells.  He  was  very  splen 
did  to  look  at.  As  he  dug  the  earth,  it  seemed  to 
him  that  he  heard  something.  He  stopped,  lis 
tened,  listened  with  all  his  ears.  The  sisters  stopped 
singing,  and  he  dug  again ;  again  he  heard  the 


250     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

singing  and  stopped.  When  he  stopped,  the  sisters 
ceased  to  sing ;  when  he  dug,  they  began  again. 
Thus  it  continued  the  whole  afternoon.  They  kept 
Sedit  all  day  there  doing  little,  almost  nothing. 

Sometime  before  sunset  the  sisters  dug  their  roots 
and  went  home.  Sedit  went  home  too.  He  lived 
at  the  house  of  Satok  Pokaila. 

"  What  were  you  doing  ?  I  waited  all  day,  fore 
noon  and  afternoon,  for  you.  It  is  too  late  to  make 
bread  now,"  said  Satok. 

This  old  woman  lived  alone  till  Sedit  in  his  wan 
derings  came  to  her  and  worked,  brought  wood,  and 
dug  red  earth  for  her. 

"  I  got  a  headache,"  said  he,  "  and  had  to  lie 
down  all  day  nearly." 

"  I  am  sorry,"  said  the  old  woman ;  and  she  gave 
him  food,  but  he  did  not  want  any.  Next  day 
Sedit  went  for  red  earth.  He  did  not  eat  much 
that  morning.  He  had  not  slept  all  the  night.  He 
was  thinking  of  that  song  on  the  mountain. 

That  day  the  sisters  went  to  the  mountain  top, 
looked  westward.  Soon  Sedit  came  to  the  same 
place  and  worked,  put  two  or  three  handfuls  in  his 
basket,  heard  singing,  heard  it  plainly,  stopped, 
strained  his  eyes  to  see  who  was  singing,  saw  no 
one.  Again  he  dug,  again  they  sang ;  again  he 
stopped  work,  again  they  ceased  singing ;  again  he 
worked,  again  they  sang.  Sedit  thinks  now  how 
to  follow  the  singers,  tries  to  whistle  their  music  — 
cannot  catch  it  —  looks  around,  sees  no  one.  "  Well, 
I  must  sing,"  says  he.  He  sings,  and  this  time 
he  catches  the  music. 


Kele  and  Sedit  251 


The  sisters  sang  now  in  response  to  him.  They 
moved  on,  as  he  thought,  and  he  followed.  But 
they  were  not  moving,  they  stayed  in  one  place. 
They  simply  made  their  singing  seem  farther  each 
time. 

Sedit  followed  till  they  stopped  at  last,  would  not 
sing  any  longer.  He  could  not  tell  what  to  do. 
"  It  is  better  for  me  to  go  back  to  my  basket,"  said 
he  at  last.  He  went  back,  put  his  basket  on  the 
bank  east  of  the  pit,  and  said :  "  Now,  my  basket, 
I  will  leave  you  a  while,  I  am  going  away.  I 
place  you  east  of  the  pit.  Rootstick,  I  place  you 
east  of  the  basket.  IfSatok  Pokaila  asks  where  I 
am,  you  will  move  east,  basket,  and  you  will  fall  east, 
rootstick.  She  will  know  which  way  I  went." 

He  went  eastward,  went  a  short  distance,  forgot 
the  song,  stopped,  thought  what  to  do.  The  song 
then  came  back  to  him.  The  sisters  began  to  sing 
again.  Sedit  followed  their  song. 

Satok  Pokaila  waited  for  red  earth,  waited  till 
midday,  then  thought,  "  I  '11  go  and  see  if  Sedit  has 
a  headache."  She  found  the  basket  partly  filled 
with  red  earth,  and  the  stick  standing  east  of  it.  She 
looked  in  the  pit  where  Sedit  had  dug,  and  thought, 
cc  He  must  be  here  somewhere."  She  searched,  but 
could  not  find  him. 

"Where  is  Sedit?"  asked  she  of  the  basket. 
"  Where  did  he  go  ?  —  Where  is  Sedit  ?  "  asked  she 
of  the  rootstick. 

The  basket  moved  eastward  till  it  reached  the 
stick,  the  stick  fell  toward  the  east.  Old  Satok 
knew  now  what  had  happened.  She  took  the  bas- 


252     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

ket  and  digging-stick  home  with  her,  put  them  up 
safely. 

Sedit  followed  the  sisters,  sang  himself,  and  lis 
tened  to  their  song.  The  song  went  southward, 
went  away  from  the  mountain.  He  followed  till 
he  reached  Tayam  Norel.  Sedit  sat  down.  People 
asked  where  he  came  from,  where  he  was  going. 
He  would  not  tell,  would  not  talk,  did  not  care 
for  people's  words.  He  thought  of  nothing,  heard 
nothing  but  the  song  of  Kele's  daughters. 

He  sat  only  a  little  while,  and  went  away  singing 
and  listening  to  the  song  of  the  sisters.  Now  it 
went  eastward.  He  followed  it  to  a  mountain, 
where  he  saw  an  old  man  setting  a  trap.  This  was 
old  Pokok. 

"  Uncle,  where  are  you  going  in  such  a  great 
hurry  ?  "  asked  Pokok. 

"  I  am  going  east,"  replied  Sedit.  "  You  will  not 
see  me  pass  this  way  again." 

He  hurried  down  the  mountain,  crossed  a  creek, 
and  went  straight  up  another  mountain  ;  was  just  at 
the  top,  when  he  saw  a  very  big  man  coming  toward 
him  on  the  right  hand  as  Sedit  was  going  east. 
Sedit  stopped,  looked,  was  afraid  somewhat.  The 
two  stared  at  each  other.  The  stranger  was  very 
tall  and  very  thick.  Sedit  was  frightened.  The  big 
man  never  stopped,  went  straight  ahead  westward. 
Sedit  looked  at  him  a  long  time,  did  n't  move, 
watched  him  going  down  the  mountain.  After  he 
had  gone  Sedit  stood  a  long  time,  and  then  sat 
down. 

"  Why  did  he  not  speak  to  me  ? "  thought  Sedit. 


Kele  and  Sedit 


253 


"He  is  the  first  person  I  have  met  who  would  n't 
speak  to  me.  Who  is  he  ?  I  should  like  to  know." 

Sedit  sat  and  thought  all  that  day  about  the  big 
man.  He  heard  the  song  always,  at  times  very  near 
him,  but  he  thought  so  much  about  the  big  man 
that  he  did  n't  follow  it.  He  wondered  if  the  big 
man  would  come  again,  and  said  to  himself,  "  I  will 
wait  and  see." 

About  night  Sedit  thought,  "  If  he  comes  and 
will  not  speak  to  me,  I  '11  kill  him."  All  night  he 
waited.  He  rose  very  early,  had  not  slept  any. 
About  sunrise  he  saw  a  man  coming  from  afar,  from 
the  east,  moving  westward.  Sedit  watched,  had  his 
bow  and  arrows  ready.  It  was  he  who  would  not 
speak  the  day  before.  Sedit  shot  him  in  the  breast, 
shot  again.  The  big  man  paid  no  heed,  passed 
right  along.  Sedit  shot  twenty  arrows.  The 
stranger  looked  all  the  time  at  Sedit,  said  nothing. 
Sedit  shot  twenty  arrows  more  —  spent  all  his 
arrows. 

After  he  had  shot  away  the  forty  arrows,  and  the 
man  had  passed  right  close  to  him,  Sedit  sat  down 
and  thought,  "  Who  is  this  that  I  cannot  kill  him  ?  " 
He  thought  a  long  time,  and  then  knew  that  he 
must  be  Sas  Kiemila. 

It  was  old  Sas.  Sas  had  been  fooling  Sedit,  just 
as  Kele's  daughters  had  fooled  him. 

Sedit  heard  the  song  again,  and  followed  it.  He 
went  to  the  Bohema  Mem  at  Sawal  Pom,  went  up 
Norken  Mem  till  he  came  to  Hin  Pom  where  he 
heard  a  great  noise.  Many  people  were  dancing 
there. 


254     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  Oh,  there  is  Sedit  coming,"  said  they.  "  Where 
is  he  going  so  fast  ?  " 

"  Uncle,  where  are  you  going  in  such  a  great 
hurry  ? "  asked  one  of  the  men.  "  What  news 
have  you  ?  Tell  us  what  you  have  seen  on  your 
journey." 

"  I  am  travelling  this  country  to  look  at  it.  I 
saw  no  one,  can  give  you  no  tidings  of  any  one. 
I  shall  not  pass  this  way  again." 

The  man  who  spoke  and  the  dancers  were  Hinwa 
people.  Sedit  rushed  on,  came  to  a  flat,  saw  a 
spring,  and  many  persons  drinking  water. 

"  My  grandsons,  what  are  you  doing,  why  do 
you  drink  so  much  water?  Water  is  bad  for  young 
people "  (these  people  were  birds  of  all  sorts). 
Sedit  called  the  place  Chilchil  balus  (bird  drinking). 
He  went  on  without  stopping  or  talking,  —  had  no 
time  for  either.  He  listened,  heard  the  singing 
near  a  hill,  ran  there  ;  heard  talking  of  many  people, 
the  Tsurats  arguing  about  acorns. 

Sedit  passed  these  people,  crossed  the  Norken 
Mem,  ran  along  the  trail,  came  to  an  old  man  lying 
across  it  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain.  Sedit,  going 
fast,  thought  to  jump  over  the  old  man,  but  he 
moved,  and  Sedit  stopped.  "  Grandson,  what  are 
you  doing  ?  "  asked  Sedit.  This  was  Pom  Piweki. 
"  I  cannot  tell  what  to  do,"  said  Pom.  "  I  am  old, 
I  cannot  travel ;  so  I  lay  down  here." 

"  I  will  go  on,"  said  Sedit,  "  and  come  back  this 
way,  I  think."  He  heard  the  song  nearer  now; 
followed  it,  followed  till  sunset,  when  it  ceased.  He 
stayed  all  night  in  that  place. 


Kele  and  Sedit  255 


Next  morning,  some  time  after  sunrise,  the  song 
began  again.  Sedit  answered,  and  followed  it.  Then 
it  ceased ;  he  stopped  again ;  then  the  song  began  a 
second  time ;  he  followed ;  the  song  ceased.  The 
song  circled  around  the  mountain,  going  a  little 
higher  gradually  ;  sometimes  it  was  near,  sometimes 
it  seemed  far  away,  but  he  never  came  up  to  it. 

After  wandering  ten  days,  perhaps,  he  reached  the 
top  of  the  mountain  by  going  round  and  round  the 
side  of  it.  The  singing  was  in  the  mountain  now 
all  the  time.  He  was  on  the  highest  part  of  Kele's 
sweat-house.  Kele,  his  twenty  sons,  and  two  daugh 
ters  were  inside,  and  the  girls  and  old  man  knew 
that  some  one  was  walking  on  the  roof  of  their 
sweat-house.  Kele's  sons  went  out  each  morning, 
and  so  did  his  daughters.  Although  they  were 
many,  Sedit  never  saw  one  of  them,  —  they  fooled 
him.  At  last,  when  Sedit  was  on  the  mountain, 
Kele  shouted,  — 

"  If  any  one  is  on  my  house,  let  him  go  down  to 
the  western  door  of  it." 

Sedit  heard,  and  went  back  the  way  by  which  he 
came.  He  went  to  Pom  Piweki  and  asked :  "  Do 
you  know  where  the  door  to  this  sweat-house  is  ?  " 

Pom  Piweki  made  no  answer.  He  stood  up  and 
pulled  open  a  door ;  it  seemed  as  though  he  had 
been  lying  across  the  entrance.  When  he  opened 
the  door,  Sedit  saw  far  into  the  house. 

"  Sedit,  if  you  are  here  to  go  in,  this  is  the  way 
for  you,"  said  Pom  Piweki.  "  You  will  see  an  old 
man  lying  on  the  east  side,  go  to  him  and  talk ; 
this  is  his  sweat-house." 


256     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Sedit  went  in  and  sat  down  near  Kele,  said  noth 
ing.  Kele  rose  up  and  gave  Sedit  food,  talked  to 
him,  told  him  what  kind  of  person  he,  Kele,  was, 
and  about  his  children,  and  said :  "  Sedit,  if  you 
have  come  here  to  stay,  you  must  do  what  I  tell 
you  ;  you  must  be  careful.  I  have  rough  sons  ;  if 
they  know  that  you  are  here,  they  will  make  trouble. 
I  will  hide  you.  They  will  make  a  noise,  but  you 
will  not  suffer  if  you  keep  quiet ;  if  you  move,  they 
will  find  you,  and  abuse  you,  surely." 

Kele  put  Sedit  in  a  basket  in  the  ground,  hid 
him  there,  leaving  a  small  hole  to  look  through. 
"You  may  look  out,  but  do  not  move,"  said 
Kele. 

As  soon  as  Sedit  was  hidden  the  girls  came  in 
with  roots,  and  sat  down  at  their  sleeping-place. 
Sedit  was  near  them.  He  thrust  out  his  hand  and 
pinched  the  younger  sister.  She  said  nothing. 

"  Sister,  have  you  seen  any  one  ?  "  asked  she,  after 
a  time  ;  "  some  one  pinched  me." 

"  JSh  !  "  said  the  elder,  "  be  quiet  and  say  noth 
ing  ;  don't  let  our  father  hear." 

The  elder  went  to  cook,  and  Kele's  twenty  sons 
came  hammering  and  tramping. 

The  first  ten,  the  smooth  ones,  came,  as  always, 
quietly ;  the  second  ten  came  with  a  rush  and  an 
uproar.  Sedit  peeped  out  at  them. 

The  younger  sister  pushed  him  back.  "  Be  still," 
said  she. 

Sedit  tried  to  rise ;  she  kept  him  down. 

The  first  man  of  the  second  ten  cried,  "  Pshu  !  I 
smell  Sedit." 


Kele  and  Sedit  257 


The  second  said,  "  Pshu  !  I  smell  Sedit ;  throw 
him  out ! " 

"  Be  quiet,  boys ;  don't  talk  so,"  said  Kele. 
cc  Sedit  is  your  uncle." 

"  Phew !  I  smell  Sedit,"  cried  all  the  second  ten. 

Kele  could  hardly  keep  his  sons  from  taking 
Sedit.  After  they  had  eaten  they  grew  more 
excited.  "Where  is  Sedit?"  cried  they.  "Let 
us  find  Sedit!" 

At  last  they  found  Sedit,  dragged  him  out,  played 
ball  with  him,  threw  him  around  the  whole  night 
from  one  side  of  the  great  house  to  the  other.  Kele 
could  do  nothing,  could  not  stop  them.  He  went 
and  lay  down.  About  sunrise  Sedit  screamed.  He 
was  almost  dead.  Kele's  ten  rough  sons  were  cov 
ered  with  deer  blood  and  shouted  all  night.  The 
smooth  ten  sat  still,  could  do  nothing  against  the 
rough  ten. 

About  sunrise  Sedit  could  hardly  breathe.  He 
had  a  root  under  his  left  arm,  and  as  he  was  hurled 
across  the  house  it  fell  into  the  fire  and  made  a 
great  smoke.  The  odor  was  very  pleasant.  Kele's 
sons  liked  it.  They  threw  Sedit  back  to  where 
they  found  him,  left  him,  and  began  to  breathe  in 
the  smoke. 

"  My  sons,"  said  Kele,  "  I  told  you  last  night  not 
to  hurt  or  harm  Sedit;  let  him  alone.  That  root 
which  he  dropped  will  be  good  for  you,  and  here 
after  you  will  like  it.  Future  people  when  going  to 
hunt  will  take  this  root,  tsarauhosi,  hold  it  out,  and 
say,  c  Kele,  give  us  deer/  They  will  give  you  the 
root,  and  you  will  give  them  deer.  When  they  go 

17 


258     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

hunting  and  have  bad  luck,  they  will  make  a  fire, 
burn  this  root,  hold  it  out  while  it  smokes,  and  say, 
c  Kele,  will  you  put  deer  where  we  can  see  and  kill 
them  ? '  (Wintu  hunters  carry  this  root  and  burn 
it  if  they  have  bad  luck  in  finding  deer.  Kele  likes 
the  odor  and  sends  them  deer).  Kele  rubbed 
Sedit  with  deer  marrow,  put  him  on  the  west  side 
of  the  sweat-house,  and  said,  "  This  is  your  place ; 
you  will  stay  here." 

The  boys  went  to  hunt,  the  girls  to  dig  roots  as 
before. 

"  How  did  you  get  those  sons,  brother  ?  "  asked 
Sedit  once. 

"  You  have  no  need  to  know ;  I  will  not  tell 
you,"  replied  Kele. 

"  How  did  you  build  this  house?  Two  old  men 
should  not  live  in  one  house.  If  I  had  a  house, 
your  sons  could  visit  me  when  they  wished,  see  their 
uncle's  house,  and  stay  all  night,  perhaps." 

"  I  don't  think  you  could  have  sons,  Sedit,  or 
keep  a  house.  I  don't  believe  you  have  strength 
for  it ;  these  things  are  hard  to  do,"  said  Kele. 

But  Sedit  talked  on  about  sons  and  a  sweat-house. 
Kele  asked  Sedit  to  sing  for  his  sons  while  they 
danced  and  sweated.  He  sang  twice  and  sang 
fairly.  "  I  could  sing  well  if  I  had  a  house  and 
sons  of  my  own,"  remarked  Sedit. 

"  I  will  build  a  sweat-house  for  him,"  thought 
Kele,  at  last.  "He  may  go  through  as  I  have.  I 
don't  think  he  will,  but  I  can  let  him  try." 

The  next  night  Kele  made  all  sleep  soundly.  He 
went  north  a  short  distance  and  wished  for  a  sweat- 


Kele  and  Sedit  259 


house.  A  mountain  stood  in  front  of  him  next 
moment.  Kele  went  home  before  daylight  and  lay 
down.  That  day  Sedit  talked  on  as  before. 

"  Come,"  said  Kele ;  and  he  took  him  to  the  new 
mountain.  "  You  can  live  here  if  you  like.  This 
is  your  house."  Kele  left  him  then. 

Sedit  made  a  fire,  found  a  pipe  and  tobacco, 
smoked,  stayed  many  days  and  nights  by  himself 
there.  "  I  should  like  to  know  how  Kele  got  his 
sons,"  thought  he  one  night.  "  I  must  ask  him." 

"  I  come  to  tell  you,"  said  Sedit  one  morning, 
"  that  I  am  lonesome.  I  want  to  know  how  you 
got  your  sons  and  daughters." 

Kele  made  no  answer  for  a  long  time.  At  last  he 
told  him  how  he  got  his  daughters. 

Sedit  went  home,  did  exactly  as  Kele  had  done, 
then  lay  down  without  sleeping.  Toward  morning 
he  heard  some  one  jump  to  the  floor ;  next  he  got  a 
blow  on  the  back,  then  a  second.  The  two  persons 
went  away  and  sat  down.  Sedit  rose,  made  a  big 
fire,  and  began  singing  for  a  sweat-dance.  Two 
girls  stood  near  the  fire,  sweated,  then  went  to  the 
creek,  swam,  and  went  home.  They  had  very  long 
hair  and  were  nice  looking.  Sedit  gave  them  wooden 
combs  and  mink-skins  for  their  hair,  gave  them 
food  and  nice  baskets  painted  red,  told  each  to  dig 
roots  and  cook  them. 

Sedit  lived  a  while  with  his  daughters,  till  he 
thought  once,  "  I  want  to  have  sons."  He  went  to 
Kele,  and  Kele  told  how  he  had  got  sons,  told 
carefully. 

Sedit  cut  the  sticks,  did  everything  as  Kele  said, 


260     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

and  lay  by  the  fire,  but  he  could  not  keep  from 
looking  up ;  the  moment  he  looked  all  the  sticks 
fell  to  the  ground.  Sedit  put  them  in  place  again, 
lay  by  the  fire,  looked  up.  The  sticks  fell  a  second 
time ;  he  put  them  up  again,  lay  down,  looked  a 
third  time.  The  sticks  fell  a  third  time.  He  was 
putting  the  sticks  up  till  daylight,  when  he  had  to 
stop.  Sedit  went  to  Kele  that  day.  "  My  sticks 
were  falling  all  night,"  said  he. 

Kele  knew  what  had  happened  already.  £C  Why 
not  do  as  I  told  you  ?  I  told  you  not  to  look 
up." 

"  I  will  not  look  any  more,"  said  Sedit. 

Next  night  he  put  up  sticks  again  and  waited, 
took  the  blows  till  the  last  one  of  the  second  ten 
was  giving  him  ten  blows,  then  he  sprang  up  and 
screamed.  All  the  twenty  sons  dropped  down  and 
were  sticks  again.  It  was  just  daylight.  Sedit 
gathered  the  sticks  into  a  basket,  and  looked  to  see 
if  the  girls  were  awake.  They  were  sticks  as  well  as 
the  others. 

Sedit  felt  very  sorry,  could  not  tell  what  to  do. 
He  put  the  two  sticks  with  the  other  twenty,  took 
one  at  a  time,  held  it  up,  and  said,  "  This  was  my 
son,  this  was  my  daughter."  He  was  sorry  and 
wondered  if  he  could  make  others.  He  went  to 
Kele  and  said, — 

"  My  brother,  I  could  not  stand  it." 

"What  did  I  tell  you ?" 

"  Can  I  not  make  more  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  you  cannot  endure  it."  Kele  did  not 
want  him  to  try. 


Kele  and  Sedit  261 


"  I  am  sorry  for  my  girls,"  said  Sedit,  "  I  want 
them  back ;  I  was  fond  of  them." 

"  You  may  try  for  sons,  but  those  girls  will  not 
come  back." 

Sedit  tried  a  third  time.  The  beating  was  so 
hard  that  he  almost  screamed ;  but  he  held  out  this 
time,  and  had  twenty  sons.  Sedit's  house  was  full 
of  sons,  but  he  had  no  daughters  ;  the  sticks  would 
not  turn  to  girls  again,  though  he  did  with  them  as 
he  had  the  first  time. 

Sedit  sent  his  sons  to  hunt.  "  Go  wherever  you 
like,''  said  he.  "On  the  west  side  is  a  ridge;  go 
on  that  ridge,  keep  in  one  line,  and  when  you  turn 
some  one  may  see  you  and  think,  c  What  a  crowd 
of  nice  boys  ! ' 

Kele's  boys  were  hunting  that  day,  and  saw  Sedit's 
sons  in  a  long  line.  "  Look  at  that  row  of  men  on 
the  ridge,"  said  they.  "  Those  are  our  cousins," 
said  one  of  the  smooth  ten ;  "  those  are  Sedit's 


sons." 


Sedit's  sons  went  to  a  flat,  danced  and  played  all 
the  day,  took  yellow  clay,  made  paste  of  it,  painted 
themselves  yellow  —  that  is  why  coyotes  are  yellow 
to  this  day ;  the  paint  would  not  wash  off.  All 
went  home  in  a  line.  Sedit  had  supper  for  them. 

"  Why  do  you  come  without  deer  ? "  asked  Sedit. 

"  We  danced  on  the  flat  and  painted." 

Sedit  said  nothing.  All  ate  ;  then  Sedit  thought, 
"  I  wish  you  boys  to  sleep."  All  fell  asleep.  Sedit 
went  to  Kele,  woke  him  up,  and  said, — 

"  My  sons  went  to  hunt,  but  came  home  without 
deer.  What  shall  I  do  with  them  ?  " 


262     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  Let  them  hunt  birds.  Let  them  hunt  gophers 
and  grasshoppers  in  the  meadows.  Gophers  are  as 
good  as  deer/' 

"  All  right,"  said  Sedit ;  and  he  went  home  and 
slept. 

They  brought  grasshoppers  and  gophers  from  the 
hunt  next  day,  and  Sedit  was  satisfied. 

"  Let  them  live  on  that  kind  of  food,"  thought 
he. 

They  told  of  their  hunting  that  day.  "  We 
wanted  water,"  said  one  of  them,  "  and  met  an  old 
woman.  cWe  are  dry  and  cannot  find  water,' 
said  we  to  her.  c  I  will  give  you  water,'  said  the 
old  woman ;  c  come  with  me.'  We  followed  her 
a  while.  I  was  afraid  and  said  to  my  brothers,  c  Do 
not  drink  the  water  she  gives.'  One  of  my  brothers 
shouted  at  the  old  woman  and  frightened  her.  She 
fell  back  and  turned  into  a  swamp  with  a  spring  in 
the  middle  of  it.  We  did  n't  go  near  the  spring, 
but  were  nearly  lost  in  the  swamp." 

"  That  is  a  wicked  old  woman,"  said  Sedit. 
"  That  is  Tunhlucha  Pokaila.  She  drowns  people 
often.  I  met  her  once  and  she  came  near  drown 
ing  me.  Don't  you  go  near  her  again.  Hunt 
gophers  and  grasshoppers  elsewhere." 

"  Now,  my  sons,"  said  Sedit,  some  days  later, 
"  go  and  scatter  around  through  this  country. 
Whenever  you  want  to  see  me  come  here  to  my 
sweat-house." 

Sedit's  sons  scattered  north,  south,  east,  and  west. 
They  were  at  every  ridge  and  point,  in  every  valley 
and  meadow,  at  every  spring  and  river. 


Kele  and  Sedit  263 


Kele's  sons  stayed  at  their  great  mountain  sweat- 
house,  doing  the  same  things,  living  in  the  same 
way.  The  two  sisters  never  married,  and  all  Kele's 
people  are  in  that  mountain  now.  When  they  go 
out  they  look  like  wolves ;  but  when  inside,  when 
at  home  in  the  mountain,  they  are  people. 


KOL    TIBICHI 


KOL  TIBICHI. 


KOL  TIBICHI  was  born  at  Norpat  Kodiheril 
on  Wini  Mem,  just  before  daylight.  When 
a  small  boy,  he  used  to  go  out  by  himself.  If  he 
went  to  play  with  other  boys  sometimes,  he  would 
not  stay  with  them.  He  went  out  of  sight,  dis 
appeared,  and  was  lost.  Then  his  father  or  mother 
or  others  would  find  him  in  this  place  or  that  unex 
pectedly.  Sometimes  they  found  him  at  home, 
sometimes  at  a  distance,  far  away  in  some  gulch  or 
on  some  mountain.  It  happened  that  his  mother 
would  look  at  his  bed  in  the  night-time  and  see  him 
there  sleeping.  She  would  look  again  and  find  that 
he  was  gone.  She  would  look  a  third  time,  and 
find  him  just  as  at  first.  In  the  day  he  would  be 
seen  in  one  place  and  be  gone  the  next  moment. 

Once  he  was  playing  with  children ;  they  turned 
aside  to  see  something,  then  looked  at  him.  He 
was  gone.  After  a  while  they  saw  him  in  the  water 
under  the  salmon-house.  Another  time  he  dis 
appeared. 

"  Where  has  he  gone  ?  "  asked  one  boy. 

"  I  cannot  tell,"  answered  another. 

Soon  they  heard  singing. 

One  asked,  "  Do  you  hear  that  ?  " 
cYes,"  said  the  other;  "where  is  it?" 


268     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

They  listened  and  looked.  Soon  they  saw  Kol 
Tibichi  sitting  near  the  north  bank  of  the  river, 
under  water. 

"  We  must  run  and  tell  his  father  and  mother." 

Two  of  the  boys  ran  to  tell  his  father  and  mother. 
"  We  lost  your  son,"  said  they.  "  He  went  away 
from  us.  We  looked  for  him  a  long  time  and  could 
not  find  him.  Now  we  have  found  him ;  we  have 
seen  him  sitting  under  water ;  we  don't  know  what 
he  is  doing." 

His  mother  hurried  out ;  ran  to  the  river. 

"  We  think  he  must  be  dead,"  said  people  who 
had  gathered  there.  *'  We  think  that  some  yapaitu 
[spirit]  has  killed  him." 

They  soon  saw  that  he  was  alive ;  he  was  mov 
ing.  "  Come,  my  son,"  called  his  mother,  stretch 
ing  her  hands  to  him,  —  "  come,  my  son  ;  come  out, 
come  to  me."  But  he  stayed  there,  sitting  under 
water. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  they  saw  that  the  boy 
had  gone  from  the  river.  The  people  heard  singing 
in  some  place  between  them  and  the  village.  They 
looked  up  and  saw  that  the  boy  was  half-way  home 
and  going  from  the  river. 

<c  That  is  your  son,"  called  they  to  the  woman* 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  the  woman ;  but  she  ran  up  and 
found  that  it  was  her  son. 

Another  time  the  boy  goes  south  with  some  chil 
dren.  These  lose  him,  just  as  the  others  had.  In 
half  an  hour  they  hear  singing. 

"  Where  is  he  ?  "  ask  some. 

"  On  this  side,"  says  one. 


Kol  Tibichi  269 


"  On  that,"  says  another. 

South  of  the  river  is  a  great  sugar-pine  on  a  steep 
bank.  They  look,  and  high  on  a  limb  pointing 
northward  they  see  him  hanging,  head  downward, 
singing. 

They  run  to  his  mother.  "  We  see  your  son 
hanging  by  his  feet  from  a  tree." 

The  woman  hurries  to  the  river,  runs  in  among 
the  rocks  and  rubbish  around  the  tree,  reaches 
toward  the  boy,  throws  herself  on  the  rocks,  crying, 
"  Oh,  my  child,  you  '11  be  killed  !  " 

In  a  moment  he  is  gone ;  there  is  no  sign  of  him 
on  the  tree.  Soon  a  shouting  is  heard  at  the  house  : 
"  My  wife,  come  up  ;  don't  cry,  our  son  is  here  !  " 

She  crawls  out  of  the  rocks  and  dirt,  runs  home, 
finds  the  boy  safe  with  his  father. 

The  people  began  now  to  talk  of  the  wonderful 
boy.  Soon  every  one  was  talking  of  him.  There 
were  many  people  in  the  place.  Norpat  Kodiheril 
was  a  very  big  village. 

"  Some  yapaitu  is  going  to  take  that  boy's  life," 
said  they  ;  "  some  yapaitu  will  kill  him." 

One  morning  the  boy  went  down  on  the  north 
side  of  the  river  with  children,  but  apart  from  them, 
behind,  by  himself.  He  looked  up,  saw  a  great 
bird  in  the  air  flying  above  him.  "  Oh,  if  I  had 
those  wing  feathers  !  "  thought  the  boy.  Then  he 
blew  upward  and  wished  (olpuhlcha).  That  mo 
ment  the  great  bird  Komos  Kulit  fell  down  before 
him.  Just  after  the  bird  fell  he  heard  a  voice  in 
the  sky,  a  voice  high,  very  high  up,  crying,  — 

"  Now,  you  little  man,  you   must  call  yourself 


270     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Kol  Tibichi.  You  are  to  be  the  greatest  Hlahi 
[doctor]  on  Wini  Mem." 

"  Look  at  that  boy ! "  cried  the  other  boys. 
"  See  !  he  has  something.'* 

They  were  afraid  when  they  saw  the  great  bird, 
and  the  boy  stretching  the  wings  and  handling  the 
wonderful  Komos  Kulit.  Some  of  them  ran  to  his 
mother  and  said  to  her,  — 

"  Your  son  has  a  very  big  bird.  It  fell  down 
from  the  sky  to  him.  We  are  afraid  of  that  bird. 
We  could  not  lift  such  a  big  bird." 

Old  people  ran  down ;  saw  the  boy  handling 
Komos  Kulit.  "How  did  you  get  that  bird?" 
asked  they.  "  Did  he  fall  to  you  ?  " 

"  Yes.  I  saw  the  shadow  of  a  big  bird  on  the 
ground.  I  looked  up.  It  fell,  and  was  here." 

The  old  people  talked,  —  talked  much,  talked 
a  long  time.  There  were  many  of  them. 

"  We  do  not  know  what  to  do ;  we  do  not  know 
what  to  think.  We  do  not  know  why  that  bird 
fell,"  said  some.  "  We  ought  not  to  talk  about  the 
bird,  but  we  ought  to  think  about  this  boy,  find 
out  what  he  is  doing." 

"  Oh,"  said  others,  "  he  made  that  bird  fall  by 
blowing  at  it.  That  boy  will  be  a  great  Hlahi." 

The  boy  killed  the  bird  with  a  yapaitu  dokos 
(spirit  flint) ;  he  wanted  its  wings. 

The  father  and  mother  of  the  boy  said :  "  Two 
wise  men  should  pull  out  the  longest  wing  feathers 
for  the  boy.  He  wants  them ;  he  wants  them  to 
keep." 

"  Let  that  be  done,"  said  the  people ;  and  they 


Kol  Tibichi  271 


found  two  men  to  pull  out  the  two  longest  wing 
feathers.  The  boy  went  to  one  side  while  they 
were  pulling  them,  pretended  not  to  see  or  care 
what  they  were  doing ;  but  the  two  men  knew  that 
he  knew  why  he  did  so.  When  the  two  men  had 
pulled  out  the  feathers,  the  boy  said  to  his  father,  — 

"  I  like  those  feathers  ;  save  them  for  me ;  I  want 
them." 

His  father  took  the  feathers  home  and  saved 
them. 

Another  time  this  boy  was  walking  up  Wini 
Mem  —  some  time  before  he  had  been  at  a  Hlahi 
dance,  and  had  seen  there  beautiful  collars  of  flicker- 
tail  feathers,  and  remembered  them.  He  walked 
forward  and  said  to  himself,  — 

"  I  wonder  where  that  man  found  those  feathers. 
I  would  like  to  have  feathers  like  them.'* 

"  Pluck  a  bunch  of  grass  with  your  mouth,"  said 
the  yapaitu,  "  drop  it  into  your  hand,  and  look  at 
it." 

He  did  so,  and  flicker  feathers  were  in  his  hands. 
He  counted  them,  and  found  five  hundred.  cc  These 
are  nice  feathers ;  I  will  keep  them,"  said  the  boy. 

"  Kol  Tibichi  is  your  name,"  said  the  yapaitu. 
"  You  will  be  the  greatest  Hlahi  on  Wini  Mem, 
but  you  must  obey  us.  You  must  listen  to  our 
words,  you  must  do  what  we  tell  you." 

Kol  Tibichi  took  the  flicker  feathers  and  walked 
westward,  walked  across  a  wide  gulch  till  he  came 
to  a  black-oak  tree  above  Norpat  Kodiheril. 

"  I  like  that  oak-tree,"  said  Kol  Tibichi.  "  I 
think  that  is  a  good  place  for  my  mother  to  get 


272     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

acorns."  He  blew  then,  and  said  :  "  You  must  be 
very  big,  wide,  and  high,  give  many  acorns  every 
fall.  I  will  call  your  place  Olpuhlchiton  "  (blowing 
upward  place,  /'.  e.  wishing  place). 

He  went  home  then,  and  gave  the  flicker- tail 
feathers  to  his  mother.  "  Now,  my  mother,"  said 
he,  "  I  wish  you  to  keep  these  feathers  for  me." 

"  Where  did  you  find  them,  my  son  ? "  asked 
she.  "  You  are  always  doing  something.  You  did 
not  find  these  yourself;  the  yapaitu  got  them.  I 
will  keep  them.  I  am  sorry  for  you,  but  I  cannot 
stop  what  you  are  doing.  You  cannot  stop  it  your 
self.  But  I  will  keep  these  feathers  for  you ;  I  will 
keep  them  safely." 

All  the  people  talked  much  of  Kol  Tibichi  now. 

Once  there  was  a  doctor's  dance,  and  the  boy 
remained  at  home  till  one  night  when  the  yapaitu 
came  to  him  and  he  began  to  hlaha.  His  father 
and  mother  did  not  know  what  the  trouble  was. 

"  Bring  him  here,"  said  the  oldest  doctor. 

"  He  is  a  Hlahi,"  said  the  doctors,  when  they 
saw  him.  "  Sak  hikai  [the  rainbow]  is  his  yapaitu. 
You  must  give  him  to  us  till  the  yapaitu  leaves  him. 
While  the  yapaitu  is  with  him,  let  him  stay  inside." 

They  were  five  or  six  days  making  Hlahis  (doc 
tors).  The  boy  stayed  in  the  sweat-house  six  days, 
never  eating,  never  drinking ;  some  others  ate  and 
drank,  but  Kol  Tibichi  neither  ate  nor  drank. 

"  Something  must  be  done  to  make  that  yapaitu 
leave  him.  You  must  put  a  band  around  Kol 
Tibichi's  head,"  said  the  chief,  '  and  the  yapaitu 
will  leave  him." 


Kol  Tibichi  273 


They  got  a  white  wolf-tail  headband.  The 
yapaitu  did  not  go.  "  This  is  not  the  right  kind 
of  a  headband/'  said  the  doctor,  after  a  while. 
They  tried  fox,  wildcat,  coyote,  a  white-deer  band, 
without  effect. 

"We  don't  know  what  he  wants,"  said  some 
Hlahis. 

Next  they  tried  otter,  fisher,  coon,  badger,  black 
bear,  grizzly  bear,  silver-gray  fox,  mink,  beaver, 
rabbit,  red-headed  woodpecker. 

"  What  does  he  want  ?"  asked  some. 

"  Now,"  said  the  old  doctor,  "  you  ought  to 
know  that  this  boy  should  have  food  and  drink, 
and  he  cannot  have  them  till  the  yapaitu  goes. 
You  should  know  that  the  headband  that  his  yapaitu 
wants  is  a  tsahai  loiyas"  (woman's  front  apron  made 
of  maple  bark,  painted  red). 

They  brought  this  apron,  made  the  headband, 
and  tied  it  on  his  head. 

"  This  is  the  one,"  said  the  yapaitu. 

Kol  Tibichi  began  to  sing ;  the  Hlahi  danced  a 
few  minutes.  The  boy  blew  then,  and  the  yapaitu 
left  him.  Kol  Tibichi  ate  venison  first  and  drank 
water,  then  took  other  kinds  of  food.  From  that 
time  on  Kol  Tibichi  was  a  Hlahi. 

Soon  after  the  great  Hlahi  dance,  perhaps  two 
weeks,  Notisa,  chief  of  Norpat  Kodiheril,  fell  sick; 
he  began  to  have  a  bad  feeling  at  midday,  and  in 
the  evening  all  his  friends  thought  he  would  die. 
In  the  early  night  people  in  Norpat  Kodi  saw  a 
light  going  to  Kol  Tibichi's  house. 

"  People  are  coming ;    there  must  be  some  one 

18 


274     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

sick  in  the  village/'  said  the  boy's  father  and  mother. 
"  People  are  coming.  See,  there  is  a  big  light  mov 
ing  this  way." 

Two  men  came  to  the  door.  "  Come  in,"  said 
Kol  Tibichi's  father.  "  We  thought  some  one  was 
sick  when  we  saw  your  light  coming." 

"We  are  here  because  Notisa  is  sick,"  said  the 
men.  cc  He  got  sick  at  noon." 

The  two  men  spread  out  a  marten  skin  and  said : 
"  We  brought  this  to  show  it  to  you  and  your  son. 
We  have  heard  that  he  is  a  powerful  Hlahi.  The 
chief  gave  us  this  skin  to  show  you.  We  are  afraid 
that  Notisa  will  die.  We  want  your  son  to  go  with 
us  to  see  him." 

They  gave  the  skin  to  Kol  Tibichi.  It  was  the 
best  skin  in  the  chief's  house. 

"  We  will  go,"  said  Kol  Tibichi's  father.  «  I  do 
not  say  that  my  son  is  a  Hlahi,  but  he  can  do 
something." 

They  waked  the  boy,  made  him  ready  to  go. 
"  Come,"  said  his  mother ;  and  she  carried  him  to 
the  chief's  house. 

"  My  mother,  put  me  down,"  said  Kol  Tibichi, 
when  they  had  come  near  the  house. 

"  I  do  not  like  to  put  you  down,"  said  the  mother. 

"  Put  me  down,  put  me  down  a  moment,"  said 
the  boy. 

His  mother  put  him  down.  Then  he  saw  some 
one  looking  around  Notisa's  house,  pushing  about, 
looking,  watching  in  the  dark,  lurking  around, 
holding  arrows.  This  was  a  yapaitu,  ready  to 
shoot  Notisa  and  kill  him. 


Kol  Tibichi  275 


Kol  Tibichi  called  his  own  yapaitu,  who  went  to 
the  one  who  was  watching  and  said  :  "  What  are  you 
doing  here  ?  What  do  you  want  at  this  house  ?  " 

"  I  am  doing  nothing,"  answered  the  yapaitu. 

"  You  are  waiting  to  do  something.  You  want 
to  do  harm." 

"  Oh,  no ;  I  am  only  looking  around  here,  just 
trying  to  find  the  door.  I  wanted  to  see  some 
one." 

"  You  are  ready  to  shoot  a  yapaitu  dokos.  You 
want  to  kill  Notisa.  You  are  watching  around  here 
to  kill  him." 

"  Oh,  no,  I  am  not.  I  am  just  looking  around, 
not  doing  anything." 

"  You  are  ready  to  kill  Notisa,  the  chief.  You 
are  waiting  to  kill  him,"  said  Kol  Tibichi's  yapaitu, 
who  just  took  hold  of  the  strange  yapaitu,  twisted 
him,  killed  him  right  there,  and  buried  him. 

Kol  Tibichi's  mother  took  her  son  into  the  chiePs 
house.  The  boy  knew  what  had  been  done.  His 
yapaitu  told  him  what  he  had  done,  and  came  in 
with  him.  The  boy  sat  down  near  Notisa. 

People  thought  the  chief  ready  to  die,  thought 
that  he  might  die  any  moment.  "  Let  the  boy  put 
his  hand  on  the  sick  man,"  said  they. 

"  Put  your  hand  on  the  chief,"  said  the  father. 
"  You  must  do  what  you  can.  You  must  try,  do 
your  best  to  cure  him." 

Kol  Tibichi  spat  on  his  hands,  passed  them  over 
Notisa's  breast  and  face.  "  I  am  sleepy,  my  mother, 
oh,  I  am  so  sleepy,"  said  the  boy,  when  he  had 
passed  his  hands  over  the  chief. 


276     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  He  cannot  do  more  to-night/'  said  the  father. 
"  We  will  go  home." 

Next  morning  people  in  the  sweat-house  heard  a 
man  talking  outside.  He  came  in  and  said,  "  I  am 
well !  "  This  was  Notisa. 

"  We  are  glad,"  said  the  people.  "  Kol  Tibichi 
has  saved  you." 

The  boy  grew  up  and  became  a  great  Hlahi. 
When  twenty  years  old,  he  was  the  greatest  Hlahi 
on  Wini  Mem. 

One  year  there  was  a  Hlahi  dance  in  El  Hakam. 
Kol  Tibichi  was  a  man.  He  was  thirty  years  old 
then.  He  went  to  the  dance.  Tulitot  was  the 
great  Hlahi  in  that  place,  and  he  thought  himself 
better  than  Kol  Tibichi.  While  dancing,  Tuletot 
took  a  snake  from  his  mouth,  a  large  rattlesnake, 
and  held  it  in  both  hands  as  he  danced.  The  snake 
was  his  own  child.  Kol  Tibichi  looked,  and  thought 
he  could  do  better ;  and,  dancing  forward,  he  blew, 
as  Hlahis  do,  and  threw  out  long  burning  flames 
on  both  sides  of  his  mouth.  All  present  were 
afraid,  and  with  Tulitot  ran  back  before  him  in  fear. 

When  the  dance  was  over,  Kol  Tibichi  went  to 
Norpat  Kodi  and  lived  on,  a  great  Hlahi :  lived  till 
he  was  a  hundred  years  of  age  and  more.  He  could 
not  walk  any  longer.  He  knew  that  he  could  not 
live.  "  I  cannot  live  any  more,"  said  he.  "  My 
yapaitu  tells  me  this,  —  I  cannot  walk.  I  cannot 
do  anything.  My  yapaitu  tells  me  that  I  must 
leave  Norpat  Kodiheril.  [He  was  not  sick,  but 
decrepit.]  My  yapaitu  is  going  to  take  me  and 
leave  my  bones  in  this  place  with  you.  When  I  go 


Kol  Tibichi  277 


from  my  body,  do  not  bury  it.  Leave  it  on  the 
ground  out  there.  Let  it  lie  one  night.  Next 
morning  you  will  see  a  large  rock  in  place  of  it. 
When  people  are  sick,  let  them  come  and  take  a 
piece  of  the  rock,  or  some  earth,  or  some  moss  from 
it ;  that  will  cure  them." 

"  We  will  not  do  that,"  said  Notisa,  a  son  of  the 
first  chief;  "  we  bury  every  body,  and  we  will  bury 
yours  like  all  others." 

"  Do  not  bury  my  bones,"  said  Kol  Tibichi. 

"  We  should  not  like  to  see  your  bones  all  the 
time.  We  have  no  wish  to  see  a  rock  in  place  of 
them." 

"  Well,  take  my  body  to  the  black-oak  tree,  put 
it  eight  or  ten  feet  from  the  ground,  leave  it  there 
one  night ;  next  morning  you  will  see  water  in  a 
hollow  of  the  oak.  Any  man  may  come  and  get 
that  water,  rub  it  on  his  body,  and  drink  some.  It 
will  cure  him." 

"  No,"  said  the  chief,  "  we  don't  want  to  see  the 
tree  there  every  day.  We  do  not  wish  to  look  at  it 
all  the  time." 

"  Dig  a  deep  grave,  then,"  said  Kol  Tibichi  ; 
"  put  my  body  in  with  nothing  around  it.  When 
you  come  to  mourn,  do  not  stand  east  of  the  grave- 
mound.  On  the  morning  after  my  burial  you  will 
see  a  rainbow  coming  out  of  the  grave." 

Kol  Tibichi  died.  They  did  everything  just  as 
he  told  them.  All  saw  the  rainbow  and  said,  "We 
ought  to  have  left  his  body  above  ground,  and  to 
have  done  all  that  he  asked  of  us  at  first.  The 
yapaitu  is  mourning  for  him." 


278     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

The  rainbow  stood  there  two  days  and  two  nights 
at  the  grave,  then  moved  two  feet  eastward.  Next 
morning  it  was  four  feet  away,  then  eight,  going 
farther  day  by  day  till  it  was  at  the  salmon-house 
where  Kol  Tibichi  used  to  go  when  a  boy.  It 
stood  there  by  the  salmon-house  five  days.  Next 
it  was  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  then  on  the 
hillside  beyond,  then  on  the  hilltop,  then  on  the 
mountain-slope,  then  on  the  mountain-top.  Next 
all  the  people  in  Norpat  Kodiheril  heard  a  noise 
and  knocking  in  the  grave-mound  one  night,  and 
early  next  morning  they  saw  an  immense  bird  rising 
out  of  Kol  Tibichi's  grave.  First  the  head  came, 
and  then  the  body.  At  sunrise  it  came  out  alto 
gether,  and  flew  to  the  sugar-pine  from  which  Kol 
Tibichi  had  hung  head  downward  in  childhood. 
It  perched  on  the  tree,  stayed  five  minutes,  and 
then  flew  away,  flew  to  the  mountain,  to  the  rain 
bow,  went  into  the  rainbow.  The  bird  and  rainbow 
went  away,  disappeared  together.  The  bird  was 
Komus  Kulit.  The  rainbow  was  Kol  Tibichi's 
yapaitu. 


THE   WINNING   OF    HALAI   AUNA 
AT   THE   HOUSE    OF   TUINA 


THE  WINNING  OF  HALAI  AUNA  AT 
THE    HOUSE   OF   TUINA 

THIS  myth  and  all  that  follow  it  belong  to  the  Yanas,  a  nation 
of  Indians  described  in  the  notes.  The  nine  preceding  myths 
are  of  the  Wintus,  neighbors  of  the  Yanas. 

The  languages  of  these  two  nations  are  radically  different. 

PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  creature  or  thing  into 
which  the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Chuhna,  spider;  Halai  Auna,  morning  star;   Igupa  Topa, ; 

Ochiil  Marimi,  mountain  lion;  Pul  Miauna,  colored  bow,  the  rainbow; 
Pun  Miaupa,  son  of  rainbow;  Tuina,  the  sun;  Utjamhji,  mock  sunj 
Wakara,  the  moon ;  Wediko,  meteor  ;  Marimi  means  woman. 


OLD  Pul  Miauna  had  a  son.  Pun  Miaupa,  a 
wife,  and  two  daughters. 

Pun  Miaupa  had  a  quarrel  with  his  father  and 
made  up  his  mind  to  leave  him.  "  I  am  going 
away,"  said  he  to  his  father  and  mother  one  day. 
"  I  am  tired  of  living  here." 

The  mother  began  to  cry. 

"  Which  way  are  you  going  ?  "  asked  the  father. 

Pun  Miaupa  gave  no  answer;  wouldn't  tell  his 
father  where  he  was  going.  The  father  stood  up 
and  walked  out  of  the  house.  The  mother  stopped 
crying  and  said,  — 

"  I  want  you  to  go  straight  to  my  brother,  your 
uncle  Igupa  Topa.  Tell  him  where  you  are  going. 
Do  not  go  without  seeing  him." 


282     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Pun  Miaupa  left  his  mother,  went  to  his  uncle's, 
stood  on  the  roof  of  the  sweat-house.  The  old 
man  was  very  busy  throwing  out  grass  that  day.  A 
great  many  people  had  gambled  at  his  house  a  day 
earlier ;  they  had  left  much  grass  in  it. 

"  Uncle,  are  you  alive  ?  "  asked  Pun  Miaupa. 

The  old  uncle  looked  up  and  saw  his  nephew, 
who  said, — 

"  Uncle,  I  am  full  grown.  I  am  going  on  a  very 
long  journey,  I  am  going  far  away.  My  mother 
told  me  to  come  here  and  see  you." 

"  Where  are  you  going,  my  nephew  ?  " 

"To  the  north." 

"  I  thought  so,"  said  the  old  man,  who  knew  that 
his  nephew  would  go  to  get  Wakara's  youngest 
daughter. 

Wakara  took  all  his  daughter's  suitors  to  Tuina's 
sweat-house,  and  they  were  killed  there.  Igupa 
Topa  knew  this  and  said,  "  Wait  a  little,  nephew, 
I  will  go  with  you." 

"  Uncle,"  said  Pun  Miaupa,  "  you  are  too  old. 
I  don't  want  you  to  go  ;  the  journey  would 
kill  you.  I  want  to  travel  very  fast  on  this  jour 
ney." 

"  I  will  go  at  my  own  pace,  I  will  go  as  I  like," 
said  the  uncle. 

"  Well,  come  with  me  if  you  can  go  fast." 

Igupa  Topa  dressed,  took  a  staff,  and  looked  very 
old.  "  Go  on,  I  am  ready,"  said  he. 

Pun  Miaupa  started.  He  turned  around  to  look 
at  his  uncle,  and  saw  the  old  man ;  saw  him  fall 
while  coming  out  of  the  sweat-house.  Pun  Miaupa 


The  Winning  of  Halai  Auna         283 

stopped,  held  down  his  head,  and  thought,  "He 
will  not  go,  even  as  far  as  Wajami." 

The  uncle  rose  and  followed  on. 

"  You  are  too  old,  uncle  ;  you  cannot  walk  well. 
Stay  at  home  ;  that  is  better  for  you." 

"Go  ahead/'  said  the  old  man;  "walk  fast.  I 
will  come  as  I  can." 

Pun  Miaupa  went  on;  his  uncle  followed.  Igupa 
Topa  stumbled  every  few  steps,  fell,  hurt  himself, 
tore  his  skin.  Pun  Miaupa  looked  back  very 
often.  The  uncle  was  always  tumbling.  "  He 
must  be  bruised  and  broken  from  these  falls," 
thought  the  nephew. 

Pun  Miaupa  was  on  a  hill  beyond  Chichipana. 
He  sat  down  and  smoked.  His  uncle  came  up 
while  he  was  sitting  there. 

"  Let  me  smoke  ;  then  I  want  to  see  you  jump  to 
that  mountain  over  there,"  said  the  old  man,  point 
ing  to  it. 

"  I  shall  leave  you  behind  if  I  do  that." 

"  Leave  me  to  myself,"  said  the  old  man. 

Pun  Miaupa  put  on  deerskin  leggings  and  a  beaded 
shirt,  —  a  splendid  dress.  He  went  then  with  one 
spring  to  the  top  of  the  opposite  mountain  and 
looked  back  to  see  his  uncle  ;  but  old  Igupa  Topa 
had  jumped  too.  He  was  just  passing  Pun  Miaupa 
and  went  far  beyond  him. 

"  I  thought  you  were  too  old  to  jump,"  said 
Pun  Miaupa,  coming  up  to  him. 

They  jumped  again,  jumped  to  a  second  moun 
tain,  and  the  uncle  was  ahead  the  second  time. 
After  that  they  walked  on.  The  old  man  fell 


284     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

very  often,  but  Pun  Miaupa  did  not  pity  him  any 
longer;  he  laughed  when  his  uncle  fell.  They 
travelled  a  good  while,  travelled  fast,  and  when  both 
reached  Wajami  Mountain,  they  sat  down  to  rest 
there. 

"  I  want  Wakara  to  send  out  his  youngest  daugh 
ter  for  wood,"  said  Pun  Miaupa  in  his  mind  ;  and 
the  next  minute  Wakara,  who  was  far  away  in  his 
own  sweat-house,  told  his  youngest  daughter  to 
take  a  basket  and  go  for  wood.  This  daughter  was 
Halai  Auna. 

At  that  moment,  too,  Wakara's  wife,  Ochul 
Marimi,  said  to  the  girl :  "  Why  do  you  lie  asleep 
all  the  time  and  not  help  me  ?  I  want  you  to  get 
me  leaves  for  acorn  bread." 

Halai  Auna  took  the  basket  and  went  upon  the 
mountain  side  to  find  wood  and  leaves.  Pun 
Miaupa  saw  the  girl  filling  her  basket. 

"That  is  Wakara's  daughter,"  said  he  to  his 
uncle. 

"  Stop  !     Be  careful  !  "  said  Igupa  Topa. 

The  uncle  put  himself  into  his  nephew's  heart 
now  to  strengthen  him.  There  was  only  one  per 
son  to  be  seen.  Igupa  Topa  went  into  his  nephew, 
went  in  because  he  knew  that  Tuina  killed  all 
men  who  tried  to  get  Halai  Auna,  and  he  wished 
to  save  his  sister's  son,  Pun  Miaupa. 

When  the  girl  had  her  basket  full  and  turned  to 
place  it  on  her  back,  she  saw  Pun  Miaupa  behind 
her ;  she  could  not  move,  she  was  so  frightened. 

"  Why  are  you  afraid  ?  Am  I  so  ugly  ?  "  asked 
Pun  Miaupa. 


The  Winning  of  Halai  Auna         285 

He  pleased  her  ;  but  she  said  not  a  word,  just  ran, 
hurried  home  with  the  basket,  and  threw  it  down 
at  the  door. 

"  What  is  your  trouble  ?  "  asked  the  mother. 
"  You  don't  like  to  work,  I  think." 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Wakara.  "  You 
are  frightened." 

"  I  saw  a  man  on  the  mountain,  a  man  with 
woodpecker  scalps  on  his  head." 

"  The  southern  people  wear  woodpecker  scalps," 
said  Wakara ;  cc  that  must  be  one  of  the  southern 
people." 

Pun  Miaupa  sprang  through  the  air,  came  down 
in  front  of  Wakara's  sweat-house,  went  in  and  sat 
near  Halai  Auna  on  a  bear-skin.  Nice  food  was 
brought  for  all,  and  when  they  had  finished  eating, 
Wakara  said,  — 

"  Now,  my  daughters,  and  you,  my  wife,  Ochul 
Marima,  make  ready  ;  let  us  go.  I  wish  to  see  my 
brother,  Tuina,  and  hear  what  he  says  of  Halai 
Auna's  new  husband." 

They  dressed,  put  on  beads,  and  put  red  paint  on 
their  faces.  Halai  Auna  said  nothing.  She  sat 
with  her  head  down ;  she  was  sorry;  she  liked  Pun 
Miaupa,  she  felt  sure  that  they  would  kill  him. 

When  all  were  ready,  Wakara  took  his  wife's 
hand  and  danced  around  the  fire  with  her.  He 
had  two  unmarried  daughters  besides  Halai  Auna; 
one  of  these  took  her  father's  hand,  the  other  took 
Halai  Auna's,  and  all  danced  around  the  fire  and 
circled  about  Pun  Miaupa.  They  put  him  in  the 
middle  and  danced  in  a  circle  ;  they  began  to  sing, 


286     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

and  rose  in  the  air  then  and  danced  right  up  out  of 
the  sweat-house,  went  through  the  smoke-hole  and 
moved  westward,  singing  as  they  went,  — 
"  I-no,  i-no,  i-no,  no-ma 
I-no,  i-no,  i-no,  no-ma." 

They  moved  faster  as  they  went,  and  danced  all 
the  time.  It  was  dark  when  they  danced  up  through 
the  roof  of  the  sweat-house  ;  no  one  saw  them, 
though  there  were  many  people  round  about.  Old 
Wakara' s  sons-in-law  lived  in  that  place ;  all  the 
stars  were  his  daughters,  and  his  daughters  were 
married,  except  Halai  Auna  and  the  two  who  danced 
around  the  fire.  Wakara  went  without  being  seen. 
He  would  let  no  one  have  Halai  Auna  unless  one 
whom  Tuina  could  not  kill. 

Now,  a  little  before  daylight  they  reached  Tuina' s 
house.  Wakara  stood  on  the  roof  of  the  sweat- 
house  and  called,  "  My  brother,  I  want  you  to 
spring  out  of  bed/* 

Tuina  was  asleep  in  the  sweat-house.  He  had 
three  daughters  and  no  son.  The  daughters  were 
called  Wediko,  and  his  wife  was  Utjamhji.  Wakara 
went  down  into  the  sweat- house  and  sat  at  the  side 
of  Tuina.  Tuina  took  a  bear-skin  and  put  it  down 
at  his  other  hand,  and  told  Halai  Auna  and  her 
husband  to  sit  on  it.  Tuina  took  up  a  big  sack 
of  tobacco  and  a  large  pipe  cut  out  of  maple  wood. 
The  tobacco  was  made  of  his  own  hair,  rolled  and 
cut  fine.  He  put  this  in  the  pipe  and  gave  it  to 
Pun  Miaupa.  Wakara  and  Tuina  watched  now, 
and  looked  at  him.  The  young  man  smoked  all 
the  tobacco  and  gave  back  the  pipe. 


The  Winning  of  Halai  Auna         287 

Tuina  filled  the  pipe  now  with  a  different,  a 
stronger  tobacco.  He  used  to  rub  his  skin  often, 
and  what  he  rubbed  off  he  dried  and  made  fine. 
This  was  his  tobacco  of  the  second  kind.  He  had 
a  sackful  of  this  stored  away,  and  he  filled  his  pipe 
now  with  it. 

Pun  Miaupa  smoked,  seemed  to  swallow  the 
smoke.  It  was  not  he  who  was  smoking,  though, 
but  the  uncle  in  his  heart.  He  emptied  the  pipe 
and  returned  it.  Tuina  took  now  tobacco  of  a  third 
kind,  —  his  own  flesh  dried  and  rubbed  fine.  He 
filled  the  pipe,  gave  it  to  Pun  Miaupa,  and  waited 
to  see  him  fall  dead  at  the  second  if  not  at  the  first 
whiff. 

The  country  outside  the  sweat-house  was  full  of 
dead  people,  all  killed  by  Tuina's  tobacco.  Some 
of  the  bodies  were  fresh,  others  decayed ;  some  were 
sound  skeletons,  others  a  few  old  bones. 

Pun  Miaupa  smoked  out  this  pipe,  gave  it  back 
empty.  Tuina  handed  him  a  fourth  pipe.  The 
tobacco  was  made  of  his  own  brains,  dried  and 
rubbed  fine.  Pun  Miaupa  smoked  this  and  gave 
the  empty  pipe  back  to  Tuina. 

Tuina  now  tried  the  fifth  pipe.  He  filled  it  with 
marrow  from  his  own  bones,  gave  it  to  Halai  Auna's 
husband.  Wakara  and  Tuina  watched  now,  wait 
ing  to  see  him  fall.  Pun  Miaupa  swallowed  all  and 
gave  the  pipe  back. 

Tuina  had  no  other  kind  of  tobacco  and  could  do 
no  more.  He  dropped  his  head.  "  I  don't  know 
what  kind  of  person  this  is,"  thought  he.  All  at 
once  he  remembered  old  Igupa  Topa,  and  thought : 


288     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  This  may  be  a  young  one  of  that  kind.      I  can  do 
nothing  with  him,  he  has  beaten  me." 

Halai  Auna  was  very  glad  to  have  such  a  hus 
band.  This  was  the  first  man  of  all  who  had  come 
to  see  her  who  had  not  been  killed  by  Tuina.  She 
laughed  all  this  time  in  her  mind. 

Pun  Miaupa  went  out,  killed  five  deer,  and 
brought  them  in.  The  women  cooked  a  great  deal 
that  day.  Wakara  and  Tuina  sat  in  the  house., 
talked  and  ate  Pun  Miaupa's  fresh  venison.  The 
next  night  all  slept.  Igupa  Topa  went  out  of 
Pun  Miaupa's  heart,  went  about  midnight,  and 
sat  north  of  the  pillar  in  the  side  of  the  house, 
sat  without  saying  a  word.  He  had  a  white  feather 
in  his  head,  and  looked  very  angry  and  greatly 
dissatisfied. 

Early  next  morning  Tuina  and  Wakara  were  up 
and  saw  the  old  man  sitting  there  with  that  big 
feather  in  his  head,  and  they  looked  at  him. 

"  Oh,"  said  Tuina,  "  I  know  now  why  Halai 
Auna's  husband  can  smoke  my  tobacco.  I  know 
that  old  Igupa  Topa  this  long  time.  I  know  what 
that  old  fellow  can  do." 

They  put  plenty  of  food  before  Igupa  Topa,  but 
he  would  eat  none  of  it.  Pun  Miaupa  killed  five 
deer  that  morning  and  brought  them  in.  The  two 
old  men  were  glad  to  see  such  nice  venison,  and  see 
so  much  of  it.  Igupa  Topa  sat  by  himself,  and  ate 
nothing. 

"  Uncle,  why  do  you  not  eat  ? "  asked  Pun 
Miaupa. 

He  made   no  answer,  but  watched  till  all  were 


The  Winning  of  Halai  Auna         289 

asleep ;  then  he  stood  up  and  ate,  ate  the  whole 
night  through,  ate  all  the  acorn  bread,  all  the  roots, 
ate  all  that  there  was  in  the  house,  except  venison. 
That  was  not  his  kind  of  food  ;  he  would  not  touch 
it.  He  sat  down  on  the  north  side  of  the  central 
pillar  when  he  had  finished  eating. 

"  You  must  work  hard  to  cook  food  enough," 
said  Tuina  next  morning  to  the  women.  "  Some 
one  in  this  house  must  be  very  hungry." 

The  women  worked  hard  all  that  day ;  in  the 
evening  the  house  was  full  of  good  food  again. 
Pun  Miaupa's  uncle  would  not  eat  a  morsel  placed 
before  him,  but  when  night  came  he  ate  everything 
there  was  except  venison. 

"  There  must  be  some  one  in  this  house  who  is 
very  hungry,"  said  Tuina,  when  he  rose  the  next 
morning.  "  Make  ready  more  food  to-day,  work 
hard,  my  daughters." 

"  We  will  not  work  to-day ;  that  nasty  old  fel 
low  eats  everything  in  the  night  time.  We  will  not 
carry  wood  and  water  all  day  and  have  nothing  to 
eat  the  next  morning." 

"  I  don't  like  him,  either,"  said  Tuina ;  cc  he  will 
go  very  soon,  I  hope." 

Igupa  Topa  heard  these  words  and  remembered 
them.  Tuina's  wife  and  Wakara's  wife,  both  old 
women,  had  to  work  that  day  without  assistance. 
In  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  a  great  cloud  rose  in 
the  south.  Pun  Miaupa's  uncle  raised  it.  "  Let 
rain  come,  thick  heavy  rain,"  said  he  in  his  mind. 
"  I  want  darkness,  I  want  a  big  storm  and  cold 
rain." 

19 


290     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

The  cloud  was  black ;  it  covered  all  the  sky ; 
every  one  came  in,  and  soon  the  rain  began.  It 
rained  in  streams,  in  rivers ;  it  filled  the  valleys, 
filled  all  places.  The  water  reached  Tuina's  sweat- 
house,  rushed  in,  and  filled  the  whole  place ; 
all  had  to  stand  in  water;  and  the  rain  was  very 
cold. 

Old  Tuina  and  Wakara  were  shivering;  their 
teeth  knocked  together ;  their  wives  and  daughters 
were  crying.  Igupa  Topa  had  taken  his  nephew 
and  Halai  Auna  up  to  his  place  on  the  north  side, 
near  the  roof  of  his  sweat-house,  where  they  were 
dry. 

The  sweat-house  was  nearly  full  of  water.  All 
were  crying  now.  Some  time  before  daylight  one 
of  Tuina's  daughters  was  drowned,  and  then  the 
other  two,  and  Wakara's  two  daughters.  About 
dawn  Tuina  and  Wakara  with  their  two  wives  were 
drowned.  All  were  dead  in  the  sweat-house  except 
Igupa  Topa,  his  nephew,  and  Halai  Auna.  At  day 
light  the  rain  stopped,  the  water  began  to  go  down, 
and  all  the  bodies  floated  out  through  the  doorway. 
The  place  was  dry.  Pun  Miaupa  made  a  fire. 
Halai  Auna  came  to  the  fire  and  began  to  cry  for 
her  father,  her  mother  and  sisters. 

"  You  must  not  cry,"  said  Pun  Miaupa ;  "  my 
uncle  did  this.  He  will  bring  all  to  life  again 
quickly." 

But  Halai  Auna  was  afraid,  and  she  cried  for 
some  time 

Just  after  midday  Igupa  Topa  went  outside,  saw 
the  dead  bodies,  and  said :  "  Why  sleep  all  day  ? 


The  Winning  of  Halai  Auna         291 

It  is  time  to  be  up,  you  two  old  men  and  you  five 
young  girls  ! " 

Tuina  and  Wakara  sprang  up,  went  to  the  creek, 
and  swam.  "No  one  but  Igupa  Topa  could  have 
done  this  to  us,"  said  they. 

All  the  women  rose  up  as  -if  they  had  been  only 
sleeping. 

"  My  brother,  I  shall  go  home  to-morrow,"  said 
Wakara.  "It  is  time  for  me." 

Very  early  next  morning  Wakara  and  his  wife 
began  to  dance,  then  the  two  daughters,  then  Halai 
Auna  and  her  husband.  They  danced  out  by  the 
smoke-hole,  rose  through  the  air,  sang,  and  danced 
themselves  home. 

Wakara  had  been  five  days  away,  and  all  his 
daughters'  husbands  were  saying :  "  Where  is  our 
father-in-law?  He  may  have  been  killed."  All 
were  very  glad  when  they  saw  old  Wakara  in  the 
sweat-house  next  morning. 

Before  leaving  Tuina's  sweat-house  Igupa  Topa 
had  gone  into  his  nephew's  heart  again.  When 
Wakara  came  home,  he  took  his  new  son-in-law  to 
try  a  sport  which  he  had.  The  old  man  had  made  a 
great  pole  out  of  deer  sinews.  This  pole  was  fixed 
in  the  ground  and  was  taller  than  the  highest  tree. 
Wakara  played  in  this  way  :  A  man  climbed  the 
pole,  a  second  bent  it  down  and  brought  the  top 
as  near  the  foot  as  possible.  He  let  the  top  go 
then,  and  it  shot  into  the  air.  If  the  man  on 
the  pole  held  firmly,  he  was  safe ;  if  he  lost  his 
grip  he  was  hurled  up  high,  then  fell  and  was 
killed. 


292     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  Come,  my  son-in-law,"  said  Wakara  one  day, 
"  I  will  show  you  the  place  where  I  play  sometimes 
pleasantly." 

They  went  to  the  place.  The  old  man  climbed 
first,  grasped  the  pole  near  the  top.  Pun  Miaupa 
pulled  it  down ;  his  uncle  was  in  his  heart,  and  he 
was  very  strong.  He  brought  the  top  toward  the 
ground,  did  not  draw  very  hard,  and  let  the  pole 
fly  back  again.  It  sprang  into  the  air.  Wakara 
was  not  hurled  away ;  he  held  firmly.  Pun  Miaupa 
brought  down  the  pole  a  second  time,  he  brought 
it  down  rather  softly,  and  let  it  go.  Wakara  held 
his  place  yet.  He  tried  a  third  time.  Wakara  was 
unshaken. 

"  That  will  do  for  me,"  said  Wakara.  "  Go  up 
now ;  it  is  your  time." 

Pun  Miaupa  went  on  the  pole  and  held  with  his 
uncle's  power.  It  was  not  he  who  held  the  pole, 
but  Igupa  Topa.  "  I  will  end  you  this  time,"  thought 
Wakara.  He  bent  the  pole  close  to  the  ground  and 
let  go.  Wakara  looked  sharply  to  see  his  son-in- 
law  shoot  through  the  air,  —  looked  a  good  while, 
did  not  see  him.  "  My  son-in-law  has  gone  very 
high,"  thought  he.  He  looked  a  while  yet  in  the 
sky  ;  at  last  he  looked  at  the  pole,  and  there  was 
his  son-in-law. 

He  bent  the  pole  a  second  time,  bent  it  lower 
than  before ;  then  let  it  fly.  This  time  Wakara 
looked  at  the  pole,  and  Pun  Miaupa  was  on  the  top 
of  it. 

Wakara  was  angry.  He  bent  the  pole  to  the 
ground,  bent  angrily,  and  let  it  go.  "  He  will  fly 


The  Winning  of  Halai  Auna         293 

away  this  time,  surely,"  thought  he,  and  looked  to 
the  sky  to  see  Pun  Miaupa,  did  not  see  him  ;  looked 
at  the  pole,  he  was  on  it.  "  What  kind  of  person 
is  my  son-in-law  ?  "  thought  Wakara. 

It  was  Wakara's  turn  now  to  go  on  the  pole,  and 
he  climbed  it.  Pun  Miaupa  gave  his  father-in-law  a 
harder  pull  this  time,  but  he  held  his  place.  The 
second  time  Pun  Miaupa  spoke  to  Wakara  in  his 
own  mind  :  "  You  don't  like  me,  I  don't  like 
you  ;  you  want  to  kill  me.  I  will  send  you  high 


now." 


He  bent  the  pole,  brought  the  top  almost  to  the 
foot  of  it,  and  let  it  fly.  He  looked  to  the  top, 
Wakara  was  gone.  He  had  been  hurled  up  to  the 
sky,  and  he  stayed  there. 

Pun  Miaupa  laughed.  "  Now,  my  father-in-law," 
said  he,  "  you  will  never  come  down  here  to  live 
again  ;  you  will  stay  where  you  are  now  forever,  you 
will  become  small  and  die,  then  you  will  come  to 
life  and  grow  large.  You  will  be  that  way  always, 
growing  old  and  becoming  young  again." 

Pun  Miaupa  went  home  alone. 

Wakara's  daughters  waited  for  their  father,  and 
when  he  did  n't  come  back  they  began  to  cry.  At 
last,  when  it  was  dark  and  they  saw  their  father  far 
up  in  the  sky,  they  cried  very  bitterly. 

Next  morning  Pun  Miaupa  took  Halai  Auna, 
his  wife,  and  his  uncle,  and  went  to  his  father's 
house. 

Chuhna,  the  greatest  spinner  in  the  world,  lived 
among  Wakara's  daughters.  All  day  those  women 
cried  and  lamented. 


294     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"What  shall  we  do  ? "  said  they;  "we  want  to 
go  and  live  near  our  father.  Who  can  take  us  up 
to  him?" 

"  I  will  take  you  up  to  him/'  said  Chuhna,  the 
spinner,  who  had  a  great  rope  fastened  to  the  sky. 

Chuhna  made  an  immense  basket,  put  in  all  the 
daughters  with  their  husbands,  and  drew  them  up 
till  they  reached  the  sky ;  and  Wakara's  daughters, 
the  stars,  are  there  on  the  sky  yet. 


THE  HAKAS  AND  THE  TENNAS 


THE  HAKAS  AND  THE  TENNAS 

PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  creature  or  thing  into 
which  the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Dan  Jowa,  eagle ;  Haka,  flint ;  Hakayamchiwi,  the  whole  Haka 
people;  Ilhataina,  lightning;  Tenna,  grizzly  bear;  Tsawandi  Kam- 
shu,  red  flint  clover;  Tsawandi  Kamshupa,  young  red  flint  clover; 
Tsuwalkai,  a  reddish  flint.  Marimi  means  woman. 


AT  first  about  two  hundred  people  lived  with 
the  old  woman,  Tsuwalkai  Marimi,  in  one 
great  house ;  they  were  all  descended  from  her. 
They  were  the  Hakayamchiwi,  —  all  the  Haka 
people. 

Now,  there  was  a  deadly  quarrel  between  the 
Hakas  and  the  Tennas,  who  lived  near  them,  and 
it  began  in  this  way :  The  Tennas  invited  the 
Hakas  to  a  hunt  in  the  mountains;  ten  of  each 
people  were  to  make  a  party  of  twenty.  One  Tenna 
went  early  the  first  morning  to  make  a  fire  at  some 
distance  from  the  sweat-house,  at  a  meeting-place 
for  the  hunters  of  both  sides.  Ten  Hakas  went  out 
early,  were  first  at  the  fire ;  but  the  Tennas  came, 
and  then  the  twenty  stood  around  to  warm  them 
selves,  —  the  Tennas  on  the  north  and  the  Hakas 
on  the  south  side  of  the  fire. 

The  Hakas  had  flint  arrow-heads,  good  ones ;  the 
Tennas  had  arrow-heads  of  pine  bark.  While  they 


298     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

were  warming  themselves,  a  Tenna  said  to  a  Haka, 
"  Let  me  see  your  arrow-point." 

"  Here  it  is,"  said  the  Haka ;  "  look  at  it." 

"  He,  he,  he  !  "  laughed  the  Tenna  ;  "  that  point 
is  no  good  ! "  He  held  it  out,  looked  at  it,  and 
laughed  again.  "  If  I  put  it  down  my  throat,  it 
won't  hurt  me." 

"  Let  me  see  your  arrow-point,"  said  the  Haka. 

"  Here  it  is,"  said  the  Tenna. 

The  Haka  looked  at  the  pointed  pine  bark, 
laughed,  and  said  :  "  That  is  no  arrow-head  ;  that  is 
nothing  but  pine  bark.  If  I  stab  myself  behind 
with  your  arrow-head,  it  won't  hurt  me.  I  shall  not 
die." 

"  Let  me  see  you  stab  yourself,"  said  the  Tenna. 

"  Look  at  me.     I  '11  stab  myself  behind  with  it." 

The  Haka  stabbed  himself,  and  the  Tenna's 
arrow-head  broke  ;  it  did  not  hurt  him  a  bit.  "  You 
see,"  said  he,  "  I  am  not  dying." 

"  Let  me  see  your  arrow-head,"  said  the  Tenna. 

He  gave  the  arrow-point,  and  the  Tenna  stabbed 
himself  in  the  same  way  that  the  Haka  had.  The 
arrow-head  was  very  sharp  and  went  into  him,  cut 
him,  —  cut  his  intestines.  He  fell  over  and  lay  on 
the  ground,  lay  there  groaning. 

"  You  see  that  my  arrow-head  is  good ;  it  will 
kill  any  one,"  said  the  Haka. 

Right  away  the  Tenna  was  dying ;  very  soon  he 
was  dead.  When  the  Tennas  saw  that  their  brother 
was  dead,  they  rushed  at  the  ten  Hakas  and  killed 
them  hand  to  hand  before  they  could  use  arrows, 
before  they  could  save  themselves. 


The  Hakas  and  the  Tennas  299 

The  Tennas  went  home,  but  the  Hakas  did  not 
go  home  that  evening. 

Next  morning  early  one  of  the  Tennas  came  to 
the  house  of  the  Hakas,  and  called  out,  — 

"  Come  to  the  fire,  cousins ;  come  to  the  fire. 
We  will  meet  you  there.  Oh,  cousins,  it  is  time  to 
go  hunting ;  be  up.  Your  brothers  who  went  yes 
terday  are  going  again  to-day." 

"  We  will  go,"  said  the  Hakas,  who  did  not  know 
that  their  brothers  were  killed. 

The  Tennas  had  a  fire  in  the  same  place  as  the 
first  day,  and  were  there  waiting.  After  a  time  the 
ten  Hakas  came  and  stood  at  the  fire  in  the  same 
way  as  their  brothers  had  stood  a  day  earlier.  They 
did  not  quarrel  now,  but  went  to  the  woods  soon. 
The  Tennas  had  everything  ready  for  hunting ; 
other  Tennas  were  hidden  in  the  woods,  and  ten 
more  Hakas  were  killed  by  them  that  day. 

On  the  third  morning  a  Tenna  came  to  the  Hakas 
and  called, — 

"  Cousins,  it  is  time  to  be  up,  time  to  hunt. 
Your  brothers  of  yesterday  and  the  day  before  are 
all  waiting." 

"  We  will  go,  we  will  go,"  said  the  Hakas. 

The  fire  was  ready  ;  the  Tennas  were  there.  They 
came  earlier,  and  acted  just  as  they  had  acted  the 
second  day.  Ten  more  Hakas  were  killed  by  them 
that  day. 

The  Hakas  would  not  go  on  the  fourth  day. 
The  Tennas  began  now  to  kill  Hakas  whenever 
they  found  them  out  hunting,  or  fishing,  whenever 
they  saw  them  in  the  woods  anywhere.  When  the 


300     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Haka  women  went  to  dig  roots,  or  find  worms,  or 
gather  acorns,  the  Tennas  killed  them  wherever 
they  caught  them.  When  the  children  went  out 
to  play  or  went  to  get  water,  they  killed  them. 
The  Tennas  killed  on  till  only  one  old  woman, 
Tsuwalkai  Marimi,  and  her  grandson,  Tsawandi 
Kamshu,  were  left  of  all  the  Hakas. 

One  evening  Tsawandi  Kamshu  hung  his  bow 
(an  old  bow  bound  around  closely  with  deer  sinew) 
over  his  bed  on  the  south  side  of  the  sweat-house. 
With  this  bow  he  hung  an  otter-skin  quiver  full  of 
arrows. 

"  My  grandmother,"  said  he  in  the  night, "  I  may 
not  come  back  to-morrow.  If  anything  happens, 
the  bow  and  the  quiver  and  all  that  are  with  them 
will  fall  on  the  bed.  You  will  know  then  that 
some  one  has  killed  me.  But  a  child  will  rise  from 
the  spittle  which  I  have  left  near  the  head  of  the 
bed ;  a  little  boy  will  come  up  from  the  ground." 

Tsuwalkai  Marimi  listened,  said  nothing,  made 
no  answer.  Tsawandi  Kamshu  went  out  the  next 
morning  at  daybreak,  stayed  out  all  that  day.  At 
dusk  the  bow  fell  with  the  quiver. 

The  old  woman  began  to  cry.  She  cried  bitterly. 
"All  our  people  are  dead,"  said  she.  "All  our 
people  are  gone,  and  I  am  alone." 

She  went  around  crying ;  went  along  the  four 
sides  of  the  house ;  went  to  where  the  bows,  arrows, 
and  otter-skin  quivers  were  hanging ;  cried  all  that 
night,  cried  all  the  next  day. 

The  Tennas  watched  for  the  old  woman,  watched 
closely.  They  wanted  to  kill  her,  but  they  could 


The  Hakas  and  the  Tennas  301 

not  break  into  the  house,  and  she  would  not  go  out 
to  them.  They  wanted  to  kill  her  and  put  an  end 
to  the  last  of  the  Hakas. 

While  Tsuwalkai  was  crying  the  second  night,  the 
Tennas  were  near  the  house  listening  and  watching. 

"  The  old  woman  is  laughing/'  said  they.  "  She 
is  having  some  feast ;  that  is  why  she  is  laughing. 
She  must  be  glad,  that  old  woman." 

Tsuwalkai  heard  these  words  of  her  enemies. 
"  Oh,  Tennas,  do  not  talk  that  way,"  said  she. 
"  Something  may  happen  yet  that  will  hurt  you. 
Some  one  may  come  who  will  make  your  hearts 
sore.  You  may  drop  tears  yet,  you  may  be  sorry." 

The  old  woman  cried  the  third  night  and  third 
day.  The  fourth  night  she  dropped  no  tears,  but 
she  could  not  sleep.  In  the  middle  of  the  fourth 
night  she  heard  crying  on  the  ground  near  Tsawandi 
Kamshu's  sleeping-place.  A  little  baby  was  cry 
ing,  rolling,  struggling,  wailing.  The  old  woman 
listened,  she  heard  "  U  na,  u  na."  She  was  fright 
ened  at  first. 

"  I  must  be  dreaming  of  a  baby,  I  must  be  dream 
ing,"  said  she.  "  Oh,  my  people  are  making  me 
dream.  I  hear  a  noise  like  the  crying  of  a  baby  in 
my  sweat-house.  Oh,  it  is  no  baby ;  I  am  only 
dreaming." 

The  baby  cried  on,  kept  crying.  The  old  woman 
went  to  the  spot  where  the  crying  was,  looked,  found 
a  baby  covered  with  dirt,  mud,  and  ashes.  She  had 
not  carried  the  ashes  out  since  her  grandson  had 
gone  ;  she  could  not  carry  them.  The  Tennas  were 
watching  outside  for  her,  watching  to  kill  the  old 


302     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

woman.     The  baby  rolled  around  in  the  dirt  and 
the  ashes. 

"  I  don't  think  any  one  brought  that  baby  into 
this  house/'  said  the  old  woman  to  herself.  "  Tsa- 
wandi  Kamshu  said  that  a  baby  would  come  from 
the  ground,  would  rise  from  his  spittle.  Maybe 
this  is  his  spirit  that  has  come  back  and  is  a  baby 
again.  I  will  call  this  baby  Tsawandi  Kamshupa." 

She  took  up  the  baby,  a  little  boy,  washed  him, 
washed  him  all  night,  the  little  child  was  so  dirty. 
She  washed  him  in  cold  water,  and  he  grew  while 
she  washed.  She  washed  him  till  morning,  but  gave 
him  no  food. 

The  Tennas  heard  now  the  noise  of  two  people 
inside.  Tsuwalkai  Marimi  felt  glad,  she  had  the 
company  of  this  little  boy.  All  day  and  two  nights 
she  washed  the  child.  He  ate  nothing. 

"  I  want  you  to  live  and  grow  large,  little  boy," 
said  the  old  woman.  "  I  want  you  to  grow  quickly  ; 
you  will  be  a  great  help  to  me." 

The  little  boy  did  not  know  what  was  said  yet. 
She  washed  the  child,  talked  three  days  and  three 
nights  to  him.  The  little  boy  could  creep  around 
the  house  now,  could  creep  through  every  part  of  it. 
She  washed  him  in  the  night,  in  the  day ;  washed 
him  often.  He  grew  very  fast.  In  ten  days  he 
was  a  man  full  grown.  He  could  talk  now  as  well 
as  any  one,  and  one  day  he  asked  the  old  woman,  — 

"  What  house  is  this  ?     What  people  live  here  ?  " 

She  told  him  the  whole  story  of  her  people  ;  told 
how  all  had  been  killed  by  the  Tennas  in  the  woods, 
in  the  fields,  on  the  water. 


The  Hakas  and  the  Tennas  303 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  what  you  tell,"  said  he. 

He  asked  now  for  a  bow.  She  gave  him  a  fresh 
one.  He  broke  it. 

"  I  want  one  to  kill  birds  outside  with  it." 

"  You  must  not  go  out,"  said  the  old  woman ; 
<c  bad  people  are  near  us." 

"  I  only  want  to  kill  birds.  Whose  arms  are 
these  ?  "  asked  he,  pointing  to  knives,  bows,  and 
arrows  on  the  walls. 

"  Oh,  it  makes  me  sorry  to  tell  you,  it  makes  me 
sorry  to  talk  of  them.  These  are  the  arms  of  many 
men.  The  Tennas  killed  all  of  them." 

She  went  to  the  west  side  of  the  house  and  gave 
him  bows.  He  broke  one  after  another.  He 
broke  every  bow  on  the  walls  except  one.  When 
he  came  to  his  own  bow,  his  old  bow,  he  laughed. 
He  took  it  himself  without  asking.  He  tried  and 
could  not  break  it ;  tried  again,  laughed,  and  was 
glad. 

"  Tsuwalkai,  whose  bow  is  this  ? "  asked  he. 

"  That  was  the  bow  of  a  good  man." 

"  He  was  a  good  man,  I  think,"  said  Tsawandi 
Kamshupa ;  "  why  did  he  die  ?  There  was  a  good 
man  in  this  house ;  he  had  that  bow ;  he  was  a  great 
fighter." 

Tsawandi  Kamshupa  tried  again  to  break  the  bow 
with  his  feet  and  hands,  but  he  could  not. 

"  There  was  a  good  man  in  this  house,"  said  the 
old  woman,  "  the  best  man  of  all  the  Haka  people. 
That  was  his  bow." 

"  I  wished  to  go  hunting  to-day,  but  I  will  go 
very  early  to-morrow.  I  will  go  before  daylight," 


304     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

said  Tsawandi  Kamshupa.  "  I  am  going  to  look 
around.  I  am  going  a  short  distance  to  hunt.  I 
will  come  back  ;  have  no  fear." 

The  old  woman  was  afraid.  She  had  lost  the 
owner  of  the  bow,  the  best  of  her  grandsons. 

"  I  will  only  go  down  south  a  little  way/'  said  he. 

Early  next  morning  he  took  a  deerskin,  wrapped 
it  around  his  body,  tied  a  belt  around  his  waist,  and 
took  his  arrows.  There  was  dew  on  the  grass  yet. 
He  looked  down  the  mountain-side,  saw  many  peo 
ple  near  a  big  fire,  and  said,  — 

"I  know  who  those  people  are;  they  are  Tep- 
tewi "  (Tenna  women). 

There  were  fifty  of  them.  They  had  come  to 
that  swampy  mountain-side  early  in  the  morning. 
They  had  come  before  daybreak  to  dig  worms  and 
gather  clover.  Each  had  a  stick  to  dig  worms 
with. 

The  young  man  stood  watching  these  women, 
and  said  to  himself:  "What  shall  I  do  ?  These 
Tennas  have  killed  all  my  people  except  my  old 
grandmother.  They  tried  to  kill  her.  They  will 
kill  her  and  me  if  they  can.  What  shall  I  do  ? 
There  are  a  great  many  women  there.  I  will  kill 
a  lone  one  to  begin  with,  then  hide  my  bow  and 
quiver  and  go  to  those  farther  down." 

He  went  along  the  slope  somewhat,  came  to  one 
Tenna  woman,  and  killed  her.  The  others  did  not 
see  him,  did  not  know  that  he  was  on  the  moun 
tain,  thought  that  all  the  Hakas  were  dead. 

He  opened  the  Tenna's  throat,  took  her  heart, 
put  it  inside  his  blanket,  and  left  the  body  dead 


The  Hakas  and  the  Tennas  305 

on  the  ground.  The  other  Tenna  women  were 
working  not  far  from  a  fire.  These  women  had 
taken  their  teeth  out  and  hung  them  on  a  tree  near 
the  fire.  Whenever  they  were  angry  the  women 
put  these  teeth  in  their  mouths  to  bite  with. 

Tsawandi  went  along  the  mountain-side  carefully. 
"  I  will  go  to  that  fire,"  thought  he.  Then  he 
sprang  up  and  stood  near  the  fire,  warmed  his 
hands.  The  women  did  not  see  him  yet.  One 
looked  up  at  the  fire,  but  saw  no  one.  "  Hei !  " 
cried  he,  "  you  women  are  out  very  early.  Come 
here  and  warm  yourselves.  Cook  worms  for  me  ;  I 
am  hungry,  I  want  worms." 

The  women  gave  no  answer,  said  nothing.  They 
were  afraid ;  they  could  not  bite,  for  their  teeth  were 
out.  "  If  I  had  my  teeth,  I  would  kill  that  man," 
thought  each  woman. 

Tsawandi  kept  his  eye  on  the  teeth,  which  were  at 
one  end  of  the  fire  ;  he  would  let  no  woman  come 
near  them.  "  Come  up  !  come  up  !  "  called  he.  At 
last  they  came  up  and  sat  near  the  fire,  but  could 
not  get  their  teeth.  "  I  did  not  know  that  women 
go  out  in  the  morning  so  early,"  said  he.  "  I  saw 
a  deer  some  distance  back  here  and  killed  it.  I 
was  in  a  great  hurry.  I  took  only  a  small  piece  of 
meat." 

He  took  out  the  heart,  cut  it  into  pieces,  roasted 
them  by  the  fire ;  then  he  gave  some  to  each 
woman.  The  women  were  hungry,  and  were  glad 
to  get  meat. 

"  Have  you  no  bread  ?  "  asked  Tsawandi. 

"  We  have  no  bread,"  said  the  women. 


20 


306     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"Well,  I  have  acorn  bread."  He  had  no  bread, 
but  he  put  his  hand  in  his  bosom-  and  thought,  <c  I 
want  bread  of  red  flint  meal."  This  bread  came  to 
his  bosom,  and  he  gave  each  woman  a  piece  of  it. 
"  My  grandmother  makes  good  bread,"  said  he. 
"  I  carry  it  with  me  always  to  show  people  and 
let  them  have  some  to  eat.  Every  one  likes  my 
grandmother's  bread." 

The  bread  tasted  well ;  all  ate.  He  watched 
their  teeth  closely.  Very  soon  a  woman  fell  dead  ; 
then  all  fell  quickly  and  died.  He  cut  their  hearts 
out  —  fifty  hearts  —  and  carried  them  under  his 
deerskin.  He  went  farther  south  now ;  ran  quickly. 
He  saw  fifty  more  women  working  near  a  fire ;  went 
near  the  fire,  sprang  up  to  it,  and  cried,  — 

"  Hu,  hu  !  women,  you  are  out  early  ;  why  so 
early  ?  It  is  cold  ;  come  warm  your  hands.  Give 
me  something  to  eat ;  give  me  worms  and  clover ; 
give  me  something  to  eat,  and  I  will  give  you  some 
thing  ;  I  will  give  bread,  I  will  give  venison." 

These  women  had  come  out  to  dig  roots  ;  their 
teeth  were  hanging  on  a  tree  near  the  fire.  The 
Tenna  women  never  kept  their  teeth  in  their  mouths 
while  they  were  working.  "  I  wish  my  teeth  were 
in  my  mouth,"  thought  each  woman,  cc  I  would  kill 
that  man." 

All  these  fifty  women  came  up  to  the  fire,  ate 
acorn  bread  as  the  others  had  eaten,  and  died. 

From  this  fire  Tsawandi  Kamshupa  went  to  an 
other,  and  that  morning  he  killed  all  the  Tenna 
women  who  were  out ;  not  one  was  left  alive,  except 
a  few  who  had  remained  at  home  in  the  sweat-house. 


The  Hakas  and  the  Tennas 


3°7 


He  went  farther  south  now ;  went  to  their  sweat- 
house.  It  was  still  early  morning.  All  the  Tenna 
men  were  at  home.  "  How  shall  I  kill  them  ?  " 
thought  Tsawandi.  "  I  will  go  into  the  house  and 
say  that  I  am  sent  by  my  brother  to  invite  them  to 
a  feast  and  a  hunt.  They  '11  believe  that." 

He  looked  down  from  the  top  of  the  house. 
There  were  many  Tennas  there.  All  the  Tenna 
men  were  in  the  sweat-house.  Tsawandi  Kamshupa 
went  in  boldly  ;  sat  near  the  fire,  warming  his  hands. 
The  Tennas  whispered  to  each  other,  "  That 's  my 
blood,  sister  ;  that 's  my  blood,  brother  !  "  meaning, 
"  he  's  my  share  ;  I  '11  eat  him." 

"  Oh,  you  Tenna  people,  what  are  you  talking 
of?  I  am  your  neighbor.  I  do  not  live  very  far 
from  you,  I  am  no  stranger.  I  have  come  down 
here  early  this  morning  to  invite  you  to  a  feast,  to  a 
hunt.  Tsawandi  Kamshu  sent  me  down  here  to  ask 
you  ;  he  would  like  to  see  you  at  his  sweat-house." 

"  This  one  here  looks  like  Tsawandi  Kamshu 
himself,"  whispered  some. 

"  Oh,  no,"  whispered  others.  "Tsawandi  Kam 
shu  is  dead  this  good  while.  We  killed  him." 

"  What  are  you  telling  each  other  ? "  interrupted 
Tsawandi  Kamshupa.  "  I  am  not  Tsawandi  Kam 
shu.  He  does  not  look  like  me.  He  is  my 
brother.  He  sent  me  to  ask  you  to  hunt.  I  killed 
some  deer  on  the  way  here,  but  could  bring  only 
their  hearts.  Here  are  the  hearts." 

He  cut  the  hearts  into  pieces,  gave  them  all  to 
the  Tennas.  They  roasted  the  hearts  and  ate  them. 
He  gave  flint  bread  to  them,  as  he  had  to  the 


308     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

women  on  the  mountain  slope.  All  ate  the  bread, 
praised  it,  asked  for  more,  ate  it  very  eagerly. 
They  began  soon  to  fall  on  every  side.  Four 
Tennas  only  would  not  eat  the  flint  bread.  They 
closed  the  ground  door,  fastened  it  outside,  went  to 
the  top  of  the  sweat-house,  and  watched.  Soon 
every  Tenna  in  the  sweat-house  was  dead. 

Tsawandi  Kamshupa  looked  up  and  saw  the  four 
Tennas  there  looking  down  at  him.  Their  four 
heads  were  close  together,  and  they  looked  very 
angry. 

"  Why  are  you  four  looking  down  here  so  ? 
What  are  you  watching  for,  what  are  you  trying  to 
do  up  there?  The  people  down  here  have  all 
gone  to  sleep,  and  can't  talk  with  me.  I  want  you 
men  to  talk  a  while.  Come  down,  you,  and  talk 
with  me ;  then  I  '11  go  home." 

The  four  Tennas  said  nothing. 

"  You  want  to  catch  me ;  I  know  that.  I  will 
show  you  how  I  can  jump." 

They  said  nothing,  watched  sharply,  sitting  oppo 
site  each  other  with  their  long  teeth  sticking  out. 
When  he  saw  that  they  would  not  leave  the  open 
ing,  he  said  again,  "  I  will  show  you  how  I  can 
jump." 

He  bent  to  one  side  a  little,  shot  up  like  an 
arrow,  darted  out  between  the  four.  The  next 
thing  the  Tennas  saw  was  Tsawandi  Kamshupa  in 
the  field  beyond  the  house. 

When  he  had  passed  through  the  opening,  the 
Tennas  closed  their  jaws  with  a  snap,  and  almost 
bit  each  other's  noses  off.  Their  bite  was  too  late. 


The  Hakas  and  the  Tennas  309 

Tsawandi  Kamshupa  now  sent  three  arrows  from 
his  old  bow.  They  went  through  the  hearts  of 
three  Tennas  ;  they  dropped  dead  where  they  stood. 
The  fourth  ran  away,  ran  with  all  his  strength,  was 
never  seen  in  that  place  again.  He  ran  northwest, 
and  from  that  Tenna  come  all  that  are  in  the  world 
in  our  time. 

Tsuwalkai  Marimi  could  go  out  now  and  dig 
roots.  She  was  free  to  go  anywhere.  While  dig 
ging  one  day  she  saw  the  strong  stalk  of  shitpayu 
sticking  out  of  the  ground.  She  dug  around  it  and 
below  the  roots,  found  a  little  baby.  The  stem 
was  growing  out  of  the  child's  navel.  She  took 
the  baby,  twisted  the  stalk  off,  and  bound  up  the 
child.  She  had  nothing  to  wrap  around  the  little 
one ;  so  she  took  her  skirt  made  of  buckskin,  the 
only  clothing  she  wore,  and  wrapped  it  around  the 
baby.  Holding  it  close  to  her  breast,  she  fondled 
the  child  and  said,  — 

"  Grow,  little  boy,  grow  quickly  ;  you  will  be  com 
pany  yet  for  your  grandmother." 

She  brought  the  boy  home,  washed  him,  washed 
him  many  times,  put  him  in  a  wildcat  skin.  When 
Tsawandi  Kamshupa  came  and  saw  Tsuwalkai  with 
the  baby,  he  wondered  and  cried, — 

"  Oh,  grandmother,  where  did  you  find  the  little 
boy  ?  " 

She  told  how  she  had  found  him  in  the  field,  dug 
him  out  of  the  ground,  and  brought  him  home. 
That  same  day  Dari  Jowa,  Tsawandi  Kamshupa' s 
great  friend,  came,  and,  seeing  the  little  boy,  laughed 
loudly. 


3 1  o     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  Oh,  my  aunt,"  said  he,  "that  is  not  your  baby. 
Where  did  you  find  that  little  boy? " 

She  told  him  the  same  story  that  she  had  told  her 
grandson. 

The  baby  grew  quickly,  grew  large  in  a  little 
while. 

"  Oh,  my  aunt,"  said  Dari  Jowa,  "  give  this  boy 
to  me.  I  want  to  hear  him  talk.  I  want  him  for 
myself.  I  will  take  good  care  of  him.  I  want  to 
hear  him  talk,  I  want  to  hear  him  shout.  He 
will  be  a  great  shouter.  Oh,  my  aunt,  give  this 
little  boy  to  me."  A*)^ 

The  old  woman  agreed  at  last^.  •  Dari  Jowa  took 
the  boy  and  called  him  IlhatzSna!  A^ne  day  Dari 
Jowa  brought  Ilhataina  to  the  sweat-house  and  said, 
"  Talk  now." 

Ilhataina  began  to  talk,  and  the  sweat-house  trem 
bled.  He  shouted;  the  whole  earth  shook.  He 
was  thundering. 


ILHATAINA 


ILHATAINA 


PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  creature  or  thing  into 
which  the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Ahalamila,  gray  wolf ;  Demauna,  pine  marten ;  Gowila,  lizard ; 
Ilhataina,  lightning;  Jul  Kurula,  woodgrub ;  Jupka,  butterfly  of  the 
wild  silkworm ;  Tsor^  Jowa,  a  kind  of  eagle. 


NEAR  Jigulmatu  lived  Tsore  Jowa,  a  very  old 
woman.  Once  in  the  spring  she  went  west 
to  dig  roots,  and  found  a  great  clump  of  them. 
"  I  '11  come  to-morrow  and  dig  these,"  thought  she, 
and  went  home. 

Next  morning  she  went  to  get  the  roots.  She 
dug  around  the  whole  clump,  but  could  not  pull  it 
up.  She  dug  deeper,  pulled  and  tugged ;  at  last 
the  roots  came,  and  on  them  a  little  boy  with  eyes 
staring  out  of  his  head.  She  pushed  the  eyes  back, 
cured  him,  put  him  in  a  rabbit-skin  blanket  which 
she  wore,  and  went  home.  She  washed  the  boy  all 
day,  and  did  not  sleep  at  night.  She  washed  him 
all  the  time.  When  five  days  old,  he  had  grown  a 
good  deal.  On  the  sixth  day  he  crept ;  on  the 
ninth  he  walked.  When  fifteen  days  old,  he  was  a 
strong  but  very  small  boy. 

"  I  want  a  bow  and  arrows,"  said  he. 

"  You  must  not  go  out,"  said  the  old  woman, 
"  you  must  not  leave  my  sight." 


314      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

He  teased  till  at  last  she  gave  him  a  bow  and 
said,  "You  must  stay  on  the  housetop,  and  not  go 
away." 

While  he  was  on  the  house  a  bird  flew  up, 
perched  on  a  tree-top,  and  asked,  "  Why  does  n't 
your  mother  nurse  you  ?  " 

The  bird  repeated  this  and  flew  away.  The  boy 
cried ;  came  down  and  told  his  grandmother. 

"  Where  are  our  people  ?     Tell  me,"  said  he. 

"  Our  people  were  many,"  said  she,  "  but  Gowila 
killed  them  all.  We  have  no  people  now." 

"  Who  is  Gowila  ?  " 

"  Oh,  he  is  strong  and  terrible ;  you  must  not 
see  Gowila." 

The  boy  walked  around  the  house  then,  looked 
at  the  walls,  and  asked,  "  May  I  have  that  bow 
hanging  there  ?  " 

"  You  may  if  you  like,"  said  she,  "  but  you  are 
too  weak  to  use  it.  You  are  very  small,  a  little 
fellow." 

He  started  at  the  east  side  of  the  sweat-house 
and  went  northward,  tried  the  first  bow,  broke  it ; 
went  on,  took  another,  broke  that.  Then  he  went 
around  the  whole  house,  breaking  every  bow  that 
he  came  to,  till  on  the  south  side  he  reached  the 
last  bow.  It  was  made  of  deer  sinew.  He  bent 
that,  tried  his  best,  tried  again  and  again,  could  not 
break  it.  "  What  kind  of  a  bow  is  this  ?  "  thought 
he.  "  It  is  the  ugliest,  the  oldest,  but  I  cannot 
break  it."  He  took  the  bow  and  a  big  stone  to 
crush  it.  The  bow  flew  out  of  his  hand,  and  the 
stone  fell. 


Ilhataina  315 


"  How  did  the  man  die  who  used  this  bow  ? " 
asked  the  boy. 

cc  Gowila  killed  him,  and  those  who  had  the 
other  bows,"  answered  the  old  woman. 

"  I  will  go  for  wood  now  and  sweat." 

"  Do  not  go  far,"  said  Tsore  Jowa. 

The  boy  ran  off  to  the  east,  seized  a  big  pine- 
tree,  tore  it  up  with  one  pull,  and  took  it  home 
in  one  hand.  He  made  a  big  fire  and  put  stones 
on  it. 

"  Bring  water,  my  grandmother,"  said  he  ;  "  then 
I  will  tell  you  what  to  do."  The  old  woman  filled 
a  great  basket  with  water.  The  stones  were  dropped 
in  when  red-hot,  and  the  water  boiled  quickly. 

"  Grandmother,  put  me  into  the  boiling  water." 

The  old  woman  was  frightened,  but  did  what  he 
told  her. 

cc  Cover  me  closely,"  said  the  boy. 

She  covered  him  with  another  tight  basket.  He 
lay  in  the  water  till  the  cover  flew  from  the  basket, 
and  he  was  thrown  through  the  opening  in  the  top 
of  the  sweat-house  and  dropped  on  the  roof  outside. 
He  ran  down,  swam  in  the  river  close  by,  and  then 
went  back  and  talked  with  the  old  woman. 

"  You  will  be  very  strong,"  said  she.  "  You  will 
be  called  Ilhataina." 

He  ran  east  a  second  time  ;  brought  sugar-pines. 
He  did  not  sleep,  he  sang  without  stopping.  Rocks 
were  made  hot  as  before,  and  dropped  into  a  bigger 
basket.  The  old  woman  put  in  Ilhataina,  and  cov 
ered  him  with  four  closely  woven  baskets.  He  was 
in  the  boiling  water  till  the  four  covers  burst  off, 


3 1 6      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

and  he  flew  up  through  the  opening  in  the  top 
of  the  sweat-house.  He  ran  down  again  to  the 
river,  and  while  swimming  talked  to  himself, 
saying,  — 

"  I  will  meet  Gowila  to-day,  I  will  meet  Gowila 
to-day." 

At  sunrise  he  went  home.  cc  Grandmother,  I 
am  going  out  a  short  way,"  said  he,  taking  down 
his  old  bow  and  one  arrow. 

"  Oh,  grandson,  you  must  not  go  far ;  you  must 
not  leave  my  sight,"  said  the  old  woman. 

He  counted  twenty  otter-skin  quivers  filled  with 
arrows,  and  said,  "  I  will  take  these." 

She  cooked  roots  for  his  breakfast,  and  brought 
a  small  basket  full  for  him  to  take  with  him.  He 
went  west  to  a  grove  of  trees,  made  a  fire  there, 
and  caused  salmon  to  hang  all  around  on  the  tree 
branches.  Crowds  of  men  and  women  were  heard 
talking  and  laughing  near  by.  He  made  it  so. 
There  were  no  people  in  the  place.  He  made  the 
noise  to  entice  Gowila. 

He  began  to  dig  roots  then.  He  dug  without 
raising  his  head,  dug  and  worked  on,  singing  songs 
as  he  worked.  Soon  a  big  ugly  old  man  from  the 
north  came.  This  was  Gowila.  He  had  a  great 
dog,  and  a  deer  head  was  hanging  at  his  back,  with 
long  horns  on  each  side  of  it. 

"  You  sing  a  nice  song,"  said  he. 

Ilhataina  never  looked  up. 

"  Come  to  the  fire,"  said  Gowila. 

The  boy  said  nothing  ;  dug  all  the  time. 

"Come  to  the  fire  ;    I  am  hungry,"  said  Gowila. 


Ilhataina 


After  a  time  Ilhataina  went  to  the  fire. 

"  You  sing  well,"  said  Gowila.  "  Where  did  you 
come  from  ?  " 

"  From  Jigulmatu.  People  sing  well  at  Jigul- 
matu,  and  they  dance  well." 

Gowila  sat  down  near  the  fire.  "  Put  roots  in 
my  mouth.  Put  in  more,"  said  he,  when  the  boy 
gave  him  some. 

The  boy  fed  Gowila  until  he  had  eaten  all  the 
roots  in  the  basket. 

"  How  many  people  are  digging  roots  around 
here  ?  "  asked  he. 

cc  I  do  not  know ;  a  great  many,"  said  Ilhataina. 

A  loud  noise  of  people  was  heard  a  short  distance 
away,  —  a  noise  of  men  and  women  laughing  and 
talking.  Gowila  saw  blankets  and  baskets  near  the 
fire.  Ilhataina  made  the  appearance  of  them. 
There  was  nothing  there  but  the  twenty  otter-skin 
quivers  and  the  ugly  old  bow  and  one  arrow  in  his 
hand. 

"  Give  me  your  bow,"  said  Gowila ;  cc  let  me 
look  at  it." 

He  asked  again  and  again  till  the  boy  gave  the 
bow.  Gowila  threw  it  into  the  fire. 

"  Why  do  that  ?  "  asked  Ilhataina,  snatching  his 
bow  from  the  fire.  "  Let  me  see  your  bow." 

Gowila  handed  the  bow  to  him.  Ilhataina  broke 
it  with  his  left  hand,  and  then  sprang  toward  the 
east.  Gowila  was  very  angry,  and  said  "  Teh  !  "  to 
his  dog.  The  dog  rushed  at  the  boy.  Ilhataina 
shot  and  hit  the  dog.  He  shot  all  the  arrows  but 
one  from  ten  quivers.  Every  arrow  hit  but  did  no 


318      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

harm  to  the  dog.  Just  then  one  of  the  seven  stars 
(the  Pleiades)  called  to  Ilhataina, — 

"  Shoot  him  in  the  little  toe  and  he  will  die/' 

The  boy  hit  the  dog's  little  toe.     He  fell  dead. 

Ilhataina  ran  to  the  fire  where  Gowila  was  stand 
ing.  "  You  cannot  kill  me/'  said  he  to  Gowila  ; 
"  you  are  big  and  strong,  but  you  cannot  hurt  me." 

"  I  will  kill  you,"  said  Gowila  ;  and  he  sent  an 
arrow  at  him.  It  missed. 

Ilhataina  shot  his  arrow  and  it  struck.  Every 
arrow  that  he  sent  went  into  Gowila,  but  no  arrow 
struck  Ilhataina.  All  the  arrows  but  one  were  gone 
from  the  second  ten  quivers.  That  moment  one  of 
the  seven  stars  called  to  Ilhataina,  — 

"  Shoot  at  his  little  toe.  If  you  hit  him  there, 
he  will  die." 

Ilhataina  struck  Gowila's  little  toe,  and  he 
dropped  dead. 

Ilhataina  skinned  Gowila,  stripped  him  from  head 
to  foot,  put  the  skin  on  himself,  and  ^became  just 
like  his  enemy.  Next  he  struck  the  dog  with  a  red 
rose  switch,  and  the  dog  jumped  up  alive  and  glad 
to  see  his  master.  Ilhataina  hung  the  deer  head 
behind  his  shoulders,  took  his  quivers,  and  went 
home.  Gowila's  dog  followed  him.  When  near 
the  house,  he  made  heavy  steps,  and  the  old  woman 
looked  out. 

"  Oh,  Gowila  is  coming  !  Gowila  is  coming !  " 
cried  she,  terribly  frightened. 

"  Grandmother,  don't  be  afraid ;  it  is  I.  Gowila 
is  dead.  I  have  killed  him.  I  am  wearing  his  skin. 
I  am  as  big  and  as  ugly  as  he  was.  I  will  go  to  his 


Ilhataina  3 1 9 


house  to-night,  I  think.  I  have  brought  his  liver 
and  lights  with  me." 

"  Go,  grandson,  go.     I  fear  nobody  now." 

Ilhataina  went  away,  saying,  "  I  will  be  here  about 
sunrise  to-morrow." 

He  went  north  to  Gowila's  sweat-house,  went  a 
long  way,  went  quickly,  walked  up  to  the  house, 
was  just  like  Gowila.  A  great  many  people  lived 
in  that  house.  All  kinds  of  snake  people  were  there, 
—  rattlesnakes,  bull-snakes,  water-snakes,  striped 
snakes,  all  kinds  of  snakes. 

He  hung  Gowila's  liver  and  lights  outside,  went 
in,  and  sat  down  between  Gowila's  two  wives.  The 
dog  lay  down  in  his  own  place.  The  wives  were 
Pupila  women,  two  sisters. 

"  Bring  in  the  meat  which  I  hung  up  outside  and 
cook  it,"  said  Ilhataina  to  the  elder  wife. 

He  cut  the  liver  and  lights  into  small  bits,  and 
the  two  women  boiled  them.  There  was  a  great 
steam  and  a  strong  smell  from  these  pieces.  All  in 
the  house  were  blind  except  the  two  wives,  and  only 
one  of  the  blind  people  spoke,  Gowila's  younger 
brother.  "  I  smell  Gowila's  flesh,"  said  he. 

cc  How  could  you  smell  Gowila's  flesh  when  I  am 
Gowila  ? " 

Ilhataina  was  very  angry,  and  dashed  live  coals 
through  the  house.  All  were  terrified.  All  ate  of 
the  meat  except  Gowila's  younger  brother.  He 
was  very  wise  and  would  n't  touch  it. 

Ilhataina  went  out  and  found  a  great  many  legs 
around  the  house.  Gowila  had  eaten  the  bodies  of 
thousands  of  people  and  thrown  the  legs  away. 


320      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Ilhataina  gathered  these  into  one  place  and  went 
back  to  the  house. 

"  Blind  people,"  said  he,  cc  I  wish  you  would 
sing,  and  you,  my  wives,  dance  for  me.  I  '11  go  to 
sleep  then." 

"  We  will  sing,"  said  they,  cc  and  dance." 

The  blind  people  sang,  and  the  two  women  danced. 
Soon  the  men  and  the  two  women  stopped.  Ilha 
taina  made  them  all  drowsy,  and  they  fell  asleep. 
Then  he  went  out,  fastened  the  door,  and  said, — 

"  I  want  the  walls  of  this  house  to  be  covered 
with  pitch." 

The  whole  house  was  covered  with  pitch,  and 
then  he  set  fire  to  it.  Soon  he  heard  terrible  scream 
ing  inside  and  crowds  running  around  in  the  sweat- 
house.  None  could  get  out,  and  all  were  burned 
to  death  quickly. 

Ilhataina  tied  the  legs  together  with  a  long  grape 
vine  and  carried  them  home.  He  was  there  about 
daylight.  He  placed  them  all  in  the  river  and  went 
to  the  sweat-house. 

"  Hide  me,  and  then  lie  on  your  face  with  your 
arms  under  your  head,"  said  he  to  his  grandmother. 

The  old  woman  put  him  in  one  basket  and  covered 
him  with  another,  then  lay  herself  as  he  had  directed. 

In  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  there  was  a  great 
noise  of  people  rising  out  of  the  river.  They  came 
in  through  the  top  of  the  sweat-house.  When  all 
were  inside,  the  old  woman  stood  up.  All  her 
people  were  alive  there  before  her,  —  Demauna, 
Jupka,  and  o.thers ;  all  had  come  back. 

"  Who  brought  us  to  life  again  ?  "  asked  De 
mauna.  "  Show  me  the  person." 


Ilhataina  321 


The  old  woman  took  Ilhataina  out  of  the  basket 
and  carried  him  to  them.  Demauna  caught  him  in 
his  arms.  "  Well  done,  my  brother ! "  said  he. 
All  the  rest  called  him  brother. 

"  Let  me  have  him,"  said  Ahalamila. 

"  No,"  answered  Demauna ;  "  I  will  keep  him 
myself." 

They  asked  the  old  woman  where  she  had  found 
Ilhataina.  She  would  not  tell. 

"Will  you  sweat?"  asked  Ilhataina. 

cc  Yes,"  said  all  the  people. 

"  I  will  bring  wood,"  said  he. 

When  he  ran  out,  the  sweat-house  danced  in  its  \ 
place.  All  thought  he  was  too  small  to  carry  wood, 
but  when  he  snatched  a  tall  fir  the  earth  trembled. 
When  he  touched  a  big  sugar-pine,  he  crushed  it. 
He  brought  great  trees  in  a  moment,  and  when  he  put 
them  down  the  place  shivered.  All  were  in  terror. 

When  Ilhataina  talked  the  whole  world  was 
afraid,  and  when  he  moved  the  ground  which  he 
walked  on  was  quivering. 

All  sweated,  swam  in  the  river,  and  went  back  to 
the  old  woman's.  Ilhataina  walked  across  the 
house,  and  his  heart  shook  as  if  it  would  jump  from 
his  body. 

"  I  am  not  going  to  stay  here,"  said  he. 

When  Demauna  heard  this,  he  cried,  and  the  old 
woman  cried. 

"  My  brother,"  said  Demauna,  "  I  should  like  to 
know  where  you  are  going.  I  wish  you  would  stay 
with  us." 

Ilhataina  made  no  answer. 

21 


322      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  My  brother/'  said  Jupka,  "  if  you  will  not  stay 
here,  I  wish  you  would  go  to  the  sky.  Now,"  said 
Jupka,  "  will  you  take  beads  as  a  gift  from  me  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Shells  ? " 

"  No." 

"  Wolf  robes  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Wildcat  robes  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Foxskin  robes  ?  " 

"  No." 

Jupka  wore  an  old  ragged  rabbit-skin  robe.  He 
had  worn  it  a  long  time.  "  I  think  you  like  this," 
said  he. 

"  Yes,"  answered  lihataina, cc  that  's  what  I  want." 
He  took  the  old  robe  and  tied  it  with  weeds  around 
his  waist.  "  Now  I  am  ready  to  leave  you.  Come 
out  and  see  me  go." 

There  was  a  black  cloud  in  the  sky.  lihataina 
had  brought  it  there.  "  I  will  go  up  to  that  place," 
said  he.  "  Whenever  rain  comes  in  future,  it  will 
be  water  falling  from  my  rabbit  robe." 

All  hurried  out.  Jupka's  son,  Jul  Kurula,  who 
was  wrapped  in  a  black  bearskin,  came  down  into 
the  sweat-house  and  cried ;  he  did  n't  wish  to  lose 
lihataina. 

cc  Now,  my  friends,"  said  lihataina, '"  I  leave  you ; 
hereafter  when  you  see  me  travel  I  shall  go  like 
this  ;  "  and  he  went  with  a  flash  to  the  black  cloud. 

He  was  taken  into  it,  and  now  he  stays  there. 


HITCHINNA 


HITCH INNA 


PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  creature  or  thing  into 
which  the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Hitchinna,  wildcat;  Hitchin  Marimi,  wildcat  woman,  his  wife; 
Hitchinpa,  young  wildcat;  Metsi,  coyote;  Putokya,  skull  people,  or 
head  people. 


HITCHINNA  had  a  wife  and  a  son  a  few  days 
old.  Hitchinpa,  the  little  son,  was  sleeping, 
and  Hitchin  Marimi,  the  wife,  was  taking  care  of 
her  child.  Hitchinna  had  dreamed  the  night  before, 
and  his  dream  was  a  bad  one. 

"  I  had  a  dream  last  night,"  said  he  to  his  wife, 
"a  very  bad  dream." 

ff  What  did  you  dream  ?  "  asked  she. 

"  I  dreamed  that  I  climbed  a  big  pine-tree ;  the 
tree  was  full  of  cones.  I  was  throwing  them  down, 
had  thrown  down  a  great  many,  when  at  last  I 
threw  down  my  right  arm.  I  dreamed  then  that 
I  threw  down  my  left  arm." 

He  told  her  no  more.  That  morning  early,  be 
fore  he  had  talked  of  his  dream,  the  woman 
said,  — 

"  I  should  like  to  have  pine-nuts ;  I  want  to  eat 
pine-nuts  ;  I  am  hungry  for  pine-nuts." 

He  went  out  to  find  the  nuts,  and  she  went  with 
him,  taking  the  baby.  They  came  to  a  large  pine- 
tree,  and  he  climbed  it.  Hitchin  Marimi  put  the 


326      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

baby  aside  on  the  ground,  and  made  a  fire  at  some 
distance  to  roast  the  pine-cones. 

Hitchinna  threw  down  cones ;  she  roasted  them 
to  get  out  the  nuts.  He  threw  down  a  great  many 
cones.  She  roasted  these  cones  and  pounded  the 
nuts  out. 

After  a  while  Hitchinna's  right  arm  fell  off;  he 
threw  that  to  the  ground,  then  he  threw  down  his 
left  arm.  His  left  leg  came  off;  he  threw  it  down. 
Next  his  right  leg  dropped  off,  and  he  threw  that 
to  the  ground. 

The  woman  was  roasting  and  pounding  the  pine- 
cones  ;  she  did  not  look  around  for  a  good  while. 
At  last  she  went  to  the  tree,  found  blood  on  it,  and 
looking  up,  saw  that  her  husband  was  throwing  him 
self  down,  that  there  was  not  much  left  of  his  body. 

Hitchin  Marimi  was  scared  half  to  death ;  she 
ran  away  home.  She  was  so  terrified  that  she  left 
the  little  child  behind,  forgot  all  about  it.  When 
she  reached  home,  she  called  the  people  together 
and  said, — 

"  My  husband  went  up  into  a  pine-tree ;  he  threw 
down  a  great  many  pine-cones.  Then  he  began 
to  throw  himself  down ;  first  he  threw  one  arm, 
then  the  other.  We  must  hurry  and  hide  some 
where  ;  he  will  be  bad  very  soon ;  he  will  kill  us  all 
if  he  finds  us." 

The  people  asked,  "  Where  can  we  go  to  hide 
from  him, —  north,  south,  east,  or  west?  " 

"  I  know  a  good  place/'  said  one  man,  "and  it  is 
not  too  far  from  here,  —  Wamarawi." 

"Well,  we  must  go  to  that  place,  and  go  very 


Hitchinna  327 


quickly,"  said  Hitchinna' s  wife  ;  and  all  the  people 
agreed  with  her. 

The  people  ran  to  Wamarawi,  which  is  a  round 
mountain ;  they  ran  the  whole  way  and  went  into  a 
cave  in  the  mountain.  When  all  were  inside,  they 
closed  the  entrance  very  firmly,  shut  it  up  tight. 
Nothing  could  get  in  through  that  door. 

After  his  wife  had  run  home,  Hitchinna  threw 
down  his  ribs  one  by  one,  and  kept  asking  his  wife 
if  she  was  there.  He  got  no  answer.  She  was 
gone  and  he  did  not  know  it.  He  threw  down  first 
all  the  ribs  of  his  right  side,  then  all  of  his  left  side. 
Every  time  he  threw  a  rib  he  called,  "  Uh  !  Uh  !  " 
to  his  wife. 

At  last  there  was  nothing  left  of  him  on  the  tree 
but  his  head,  and  that  came  down  soon  after.  His 
eyes  were  very  big  now,  sticking  out,  staring  with  a 
wild  and  mad  look.  The  head  lay  under  the  tree 
a  while.  Hitchinna  had  become  another  kind  of 
people.  He  had  become  a  Putokya.  He  was 
one  of  the  skull  people,  a  very  bad  terrible  people. 
Each  one  of  them  is  nothing  but  a  skull. 

Putokya  is  new  now.  He  has  a  new  mind,  new 
wishes.  He  is  under  the  tree,  and  lies  there  a  little 
while.  He  cannot  walk  any  more.  He  can  only 
roll  on  the  ground  like  a  ball.  After  resting  and 
thinking  a  while,  he  starts  to  find  his  wife ;  rolls  till 
he  comes  to  the  fire.  There  is  no  woman  there. 
He  looks  around,  cannot  find  her,  looks  again,  and 
sees  the  baby.  He  rolls  to  the  baby,  catches  it  in 
his  mouth,  eats  up  the  baby  in  one  moment.  The 
head  talks  then,  and  says, — 


328      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"I  dreamed  last  night  that  I  ate  up  my  own 
son." 

He  is  dreadful  now.  He  scatters  the  pine-cones, 
quenches  the  fire,  rages,  roars  awfully,  a  real 
Putokya.  He  rolls,  bounds,  knocks  against  a  tree, 
cuts  it  down,  breaks  it  to  pieces,  scatters  it. 

Next  he  starts  for  the  village,  springing  and 
bounding  along  like  a  football,  making  a  terrible 
wind  as  he  goes,  reaches  the  house,  looks  through 
it.  All  are  gone  from  the  house  and  from  the  vil 
lage.  All  have  run  off  to  Wamarawi. 

First  he  knocks  against  his  own  house,  breaks  it, 
smashes  it  to  pieces,  and  then  he  breaks  all  the  other 
houses  in  the  same  way,  one  after  another.  He 
scatters  and  smashes  up  everything,  wrecks  the 
whole  village,  just  as  if  a  strong  whirlwind  had  gone 
through  it.  The  people  are  all  in  Wamarawi,  in  the 
stone  cave  in  the  mountain,  a  very  great  crowd  of 
them. 

Putokya  looks  around,  finds  tracks,  follows  the 
people  southward,  goes  with  a  terrible  roar,  raising 
a  storm  as  he  moves.  He  breaks  everything  he 
strikes,  except  rocks.  From  these  he  bounds  off  like 
a  football. 

He  follows  the  people  of  the  village,  follows  on 
their  tracks,  stops  before  Wamarawi,  rolls  up  to  the 
entrance,  listens  quietly,  hears  a  sound  inside  like 
the  buzzing  of  bees.  Putokya  is  glad.  He  stops 
a  while  and  thinks  what  to  do.  "You  cannot  go 
from  me  now,"  says  he. 

All  the  people  were  inside  except  Metsi ;  he  had 
gone  north  somewhere. 


Hitchinna  329 


"  I  will  break  in  the  cave,"  said  Putokya. 

He  began  at  the  west  side,  went  back  a  whole 
mile,  bounded,  rushed,  hurled  himself  at  the  moun 
tain,  whistled  through  the  air  with  a  noise  like  the 
loudest  wind,  struck  the  mountain,  made  a  great 
hole  in  it,  but  could  not  go  through  to  the  cave. 
Putokya  felt  sure  that  he  could  break  through. 
He  went  back  a  whole  mile  again  from  the  north 
side,  bounded,  rushed  forward,  made  a  tremendous 
hole  in  the  north  side ;  but  he  could  not  go  through, 
and  the  rock  closed  again. 

The  people  inside  are  glad  now ;  they  are  laugh 
ing,  they  think  themselves  safe,  — jeer  at  Putokya. 
Putokya  hears  them.  He  is  angrier  than  ever,  he 
is  raging.  "  I  will  try  the  east  side,"  said  he ; 
"that  is  better." 

He  went  back  as  before,  bounded  forward,  made 
a  deep  hole  in  the  east,  but  it  closed  again,  and 
he  left  it.  He  tried  the  south.  It  was  just  like 
the  other  sides.  Putokya  stops  a  while,  is  afraid 
that  he  cannot  get  in,  that  he  cannot  get  at  the 
people. 

"  The  Yana  are  not  very  wise,"  said  he.  "  I  should 
like  to  know  who  told  them  what  to  do.  They  did 
not  know  themselves.  Who  told  them  to  go  to 
Wamarawi  ?  " 

He  tried  to  go  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  and 
make  a  hole  there.  He  could  not  roll  up  in  any 
way.  He  fell  back  each  time  that  he  tried.  He 
could  travel  on  level  ground  only,  he  could  only 
rise  by  bounding. 

"  I  cannot  go  up  there,  I  am  not  able,"  said  he. 


330      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

He  lay  down  close  to  the  entrance  of  the  cave  and 
thought  a  while.  He  made  up  his  mind  to  bound 
like  a  ball,  to  spring  from  point  to  point,  higher  and 
higher,  on  neighboring  mountains,  till  he  got  very 
high,  and  then  come  down  on  the  top  of  Wamarawi. 
He  did  this,  went  far  up  on  the  top  of  other  and 
higher  mountains  till  at  last  he  was  very  high ;  then 
with  a  great  bound  he  came  down  on  the  top  of 
Wamarawi,  came  down  with  a  terrible  crash.  He 
made  an  awfully  big  hole  in  it,  bigger  than  all  the 
four  holes  he  had  made  in  the  sides  put  together ; 
and  this  hole  did  not  close,  but  it  did  not  reach  the 
cave. 

After  that  blow  he  came  again  to  level  ground. 
He  lay  there  and  said  to  himself:  "  I  have  tried  five 
times  to  get  at  those  people.  I  will  try  once  more. 
I  may  get  at  them  this  time.  " 

He  went  high  up  in  the  sky,  higher  than  before. 
He  was  angrier  and  madder  than  ever,  and  he  came 
down  with  a  louder  crash ;  the  whole  mountain 
shook  and  trembled.  No  one  inside  the  cave  was 
laughing  now ;  all  the  people  were  terrified. 

Putokya  went  almost  through  to  the  cave.  The 
rock  above  the  people  was  very  thin  after  this  blow, 
and  the  hole  did  not  close  again, 

"  I  will  not  try  any  more,"  said  Putokya  ;  "  I 
cannot  get  at  the  people."  He  was  discouraged, 
and  left  Wamarawi. 

All  the  people  within  were  in  terror.  "  If  he 
tries  once  more,  we  are  lost,"  said  they.  "  He  will 
burst  through  and  eat  us,  eat  every  one  of  us." 

The  great  hole  remained  on  that  mountain  top, 


Hitchinna  3  3 1 


and  people  say  that  there  is  a  lake  up  there  now 
with   goldfish  in  it. 

Putokya  started  north,  went  toward  Pulshu  Aina, 
his  own  village.  As  he  went  toward  home,  he  made 
a  great  roaring  and  wind,  cut  down  trees  and  brush, 
people,  beasts,  everything  that  he  met ;  he  left  a 
clean  road  behind.  He  swept  through  Pulshu  Aina, 
and  went  farther  north,  went  almost  to  Jigulmatu. 

Metsi  was  coming  down  to  the  south,  along  the 
same  trail ;  he  was  very  well  dressed.  Metsi  always 
dressed  well.  He  wore  a  splendid  elkskin  belt  and 
a  hair  net ;  he  was  fine-looking. 

Metsi  was  right  in  the  middle  of  the  trail.  He 
had  learned  that  Putokya  was  out  killing  people  in 
the  south ;  he  heard  the  roar  a  great  way  off,  and 
said  to  himself,  — 

"  I  hear  Putokya ;  he  is  killing  all  the  people." 

Metsi  thought  over  what  he  was  to  do.  "  I  will 
meet  him.  I  will  say  to  this  Putokya,  'You  are 
smart,  you  are  good,  but  you  are  sick.  I  will  cure 
you/  " 

Metsi  took  off  all  his  fine  clothes  in  a  hurry  and 
hid  them,  made  himself  naked.  "  I  must  be  quick,'' 
said  he  ;  "  the  noise  and  wind  are  coming  nearer  and 
nearer.  I  wish  a  rusty  old  basket  to  be  here  be 
fore  me."  The  basket  was  there.  He  wished  for 
an  old  strap  to  carry  it.  The  old  strap  was  there 
with  the  basket. 

Metsi  made  buckskin  rings  around  his  arms  and 
legs,  turned  himself  into  an  old,  very  old  woman, 
all  bent  and  wrinkled,  with  a  buckskin  petticoat. 
He  put  the  rusty  basket  on  his  back. 


332      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Putokya  was  hurrying  on  ;  the  roar  grew  louder 
and  nearer.  Metsi  knew  that  Putokya  was  very 
dangerous,  and  that  he  must  be  careful.  He  took 
white  clay,  painted  his  face,  made  a  regular  old 
woman  of  himself.  Putokya  came  near.  Metsi 
was  ready,  the  basket  on  his  back  and  a  stick  in  his 
hand.  He  was  walking  along  slowly,  a  very  old 
woman  and  decrepit.  The  old  woman  began  to 
cry,  "  En,  en,  en  !  " 

Putokya  stopped  on  the  road,  made  no  noise, 
listened  to  the  old  woman. 

"  He  has  stopped ;  he  is  listening  to  me,"  said 
Metsi ;  and  he  cried  more,  cried  in  a  louder  voice 
and  more  pitifully. 

Putokya  was  quiet.  Metsi  walked  right  up  to 
him,  looked  at  him,  and  said,  "  I  came  near  step 
ping  on  you."  Metsi  was  crying  more  quietly 
now. 

"  Are  you  a  dead  person  ?  "  asked  Metsi. 

Putokya  was  silent 

"  I  heard  you  from  where  I  was,"  said  Metsi ; 
"when  you  had  a  bad  dream,  I  heard  you  in  the 
south,  heard  you  everywhere,  heard  you  when  you 
turned  to  be  a  Putokya,  one  of  the  head  people,  and 
wanted  to  kill  everybody.  You  used  to  be  good, 
you  used  to  be  wise,  but  now  you  are  sick ;  you 
will  die,  and  be  among  people  no  longer  unless  you 
are  cured.  That  is  why  I  started  to  come  south  ;  I 
started  south  to  find  you,  to  see  you.  It  is  a  good 
thing  that  you  came  up  here ;  now  I  see  you.  I 
am  your  relative,  your  cousin.  I  want  you  to  be 
healthy,  to  be  as  you  were  before;  to  have  your 


Hitchinna  333 


arms  and  legs  again,  to  feel  well.  I  want  to  cure 
you." 

Metsi  was  sobbing  all  this  time.  He  pretended 
to  be  awfully  sorry ;  he  was  n't,  for  Metsi  was  n't 
sorry  for  any  one,  did  n't  care  for  any  one  on  earth ; 
he  only  wanted  to  put  Putokya  out  of  the  way,  to 
kill  him.  Metsi  was  a  great  cheat. 

"  A  good  while  ago,"  said  Metsi,  "  I  met  a  man 
like  you.  He  had  had  a  dream,  and  he  was  nothing 
but  a  head,  just  like  you.  I  travelled  then  as  I  am 
travelling  to-day,  and  met  this  man  just  as  I  meet 
you  now  on  this  road.  If  you  believe  what  I  tell 
you,  all  right ;  if  you  don't  believe,  it 's  all  the  same 
to  me.  I  will  tell  you  what  I  did  for  that  man, 
how  I  cured  him.  Do  you  want  me  to  tell  you 
what  I  did  for  him  ?  " 

Putokya  was  looking  all  the  time  with  great 
wildcat  eyes  at  the  old  woman.  Now  he  spoke, 
saying :  "  Talk  more,  tell  me  all,  old  woman.  I 
want  to  hear  what  you  have  to  say." 

"  Well,  I  made  a  man  of  that  head,"  said  the 
old  woman.  "  I  cured  that  Putokya ;  I  made  him 
over.  I  made  him  new,  and  he  walked  around  as 
well  as  before ;  I  gave  him  legs  and  arms ;  all  the 
bad  went  out  of  him ;  I  made  him  clean  and  sound 
and  good  again." 

"  How  did  you  do  that,  old  woman  ? "  asked 
Putokya.  "  How  can  you  make  a  man  over 
again  ?  I  want  to  see  that." 

"  I  will  tell  you  how  I  do  it.  I  will  fix  you;  I 
will  fix  you  right  here  on  this  road,  just  as  I  fixed 
that  other  man.  I  made  a  hole  in  the  ground ;  a 


334      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

long  hole,  a  pretty  big  one.  I  lined  it  with  rocks ; 
I  made  a  little  fire  of  manzanita  wood,  and  when  it 
was  nice  and  warm  in  the  hole,  I  put  plenty  of  pitch 
in,  and  put  the  man  on  top  of  the  pitch.  It  was 
good  and  soft  for  him,  and  nice  and  pleasant  on  the 
pitch.  I  put  a  flat  rock  over  the  hole.  He  stayed 
there  a  while  and  was  cured." 

Putokya  believed  all  this ;  had  full  faith  in 
Metsi,  and  said, — 

"  Very  well,  you  fix  me  as  you  fixed  that  other 
man ;  make  me  new  again,  just  as  I  used  to  be." 

Metsi  added  :  "  I  put  pitch  very  thick,  one  foot 
all  around,  and  put  him  in  the  warm  hole ;  covered 
him  up.  Pretty  soon  he  began  to  stretch  and  grow  ; 
grew  till  he  was  as  good  as  ever.  That  is  how  I 
cured  that  man." 

c<  That  is  good,"  said  Putokya.  "  Fix  me  in 
that  way ;  fix  me  just  as  you  fixed  him." 

"  I  will,"  said  Metsi.  "  I  will  fix  you  just  as  I 
fixed  that  man,  and  you  will  come  out  just  as  he 
did ;  you  will  be  in  the  right  way  and  have  no 
more  trouble  ;  you  will  never  be  sick  again." 

Metsi  did  everything  as  he  had  said  ;  made  a 
long  deep  hole,  put  in  fire  and  a  great  deal  of  pitch, 
a  foot  thick  of  it. 

He  placed  Putokya  on  the  pitch ;  put  a  wide 
flat  stone  over  him,  put  on  others ;  put  the  stones 
on  very  quickly,  till  there  was  a  great  pile  of 
them. 

The  pitch  began  to  burn  well,  to  grow  hot,  to 
seethe,  to  boil,  to  blaze,  to  burn  Putokya. 

He  struggled  to    bound  out  of  the  pitch ;  the 


Hitchinna  335 


stones  kept  him  down,  the  pitch  stuck  to  him.  He 
died  a  dreadful  death. 

If  Putokya  had  got  out  of  the  hole,  there  would 
have  been  hard  times  in  this  world  for  Metsi. 

When  Putokya  was  dead  under  the  pile  of  rocks, 
Metsi  threw  away  his  old  things,  his  basket  and 
buckskin  petticoat,  put  on  his  nice  clothes,  and  went 
along  on  his  journey. 

Metsi  was  a  great  cheat.  He  could  change  him 
self  always,  and  he  fooled  people  whenever  he  had  a 
chance ;  but  he  did  a  good  thing  that  time,  when  he 
burned  up  Putokya. 


TIRUKALA 


TIRUKALA 


PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  creature  or  thing  into  which 
the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Chichepa,  spotted  chicken-hawk ;  Chikpina,  weasel ;  Hapawila, 
water  snake  ;  Jewinna,  chicken-hawk ;  Jewinpa,  young  chicken-hawk ; 
Kedila,  soaproot  plant;  Matsklila,  turkey  buzzard;  Pakalai  Jawichi, 
water  lizard ;  Tinikala,  lamprey  eel ;  Wirula,  red  fox.  Weanmauna 
means  the  hidden  one. 


TIRUKALA  lived  near  Jamahdi,  on  the  Juka 
Mapti  Mountain,  and  he  was  thinking, 
thinking  for  a  long  time,  how  to  change  this  world, 
how  to  make  it  better. 

"  I  have  to  fix  this  country.  I  will  fix  it  now," 
said  Tirukala.  "  I  will  make  it  better  to  live  in." 

When  he  had  said  this  he  went  off  walking  and 
began  to  sing.  All  the  mountains  stood  too  near 
together  at  that  time,  and  Tirukala  pushed  the 
mountains  apart  from  one  another,  made  room  be 
tween  them.  He  put  creeks  everywhere,  and  big 
and  little  rivers.  He  made  springs  in  different 
places  and  swamps.  He  put  salmon  and  other  fish 
into  rivers  and  creeks,  plenty  of  them  everywhere. 

Tirukala  had  two  persons  to  help  him,  Pakalai 
Jawichi  and  Hapawila.  The  three  lived  together, 
working  and  making  the  world  better  to  live  in. 

Tirukala  never  ate  anything ;  never  took  food  of 
any  kind.  He  worked  always,  and  sang  while  at 


34°      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

work.  Hapawila  made  salmon  traps  and  caught 
many  salmon.  Just  like  Tirukala,  he  sang  all  the 
time.  After  a  while  two  young  girls  heard  this 
singing.  They  were  the  two  daughters  of  Kedila. 
They  went  out  to  get  wood  one  day  and  heard  the 
singing. 

They  filled  their  baskets  and  went  home,  put  the 
wood  down,  then  went  out  and  listened  to  the  sing 
ing.  They  thought  it  was  very  sweet  and  beautiful. 

"  Let  us  go  nearer  to  the  singing,"  said  the 
younger  sister. 

They  went  a  little  way  from  the  house,  sat  down, 
and  listened.  Again  they  stood  up  and  went  on. 
Two  or  three  times  they  did  this,  going  farther  and 
farther.  Soon  they  came  in  sight  of  a  salmon  trap 
and  went  up  to  it. 

"  I  see  no  one  here,"  said  each  of  the  sisters. 
"  Who  can  be  singing  ?  " 

They  looked  on  all  sides  of  the  trap  and  saw  no 
one.  They  looked  up  and  down  the  river.  There 
was  no  one  in  sight.  They  sat  down  near  the  trap, 
watched  and  listened.  At  last  the  younger  girl  saw 
who  was  singing.  She  saw  Hapawila  in  the  river, 
where  he  was  singing. 

When  he  saw  the  girls  sitting  and  listening,  Hapa 
wila  came  out  to  them. 

"  Which  way  are  you  going  ?  "  asked  he. 

"We  heard  singing,  and  came  out  to  listen. 
That  is  why  we  are  here,"  answered  the  elder. 

"  Let  us  go  home,"  said  the  younger. 

"  Take  some  of  my  salmon  to  your  father,"  said 
Hapawila ;  and  he  gave  them  two  very  nice  salmon. 


Tirukala  341 


They  took  the  salmon  home  to  their  father. 

"  Where  did  you  get  these  salmon  ? "  asked 
Kedila. 

"  A  man  who  sings  and  has  salmon-traps  sent 
them  to  you." 

That  evening  Hapawila  went  to  old  Kedila's 
house.  The  girls  saw  him  coming  and  were  fright 
ened.  They  liked  his  singing,  but  they  did  not  like 
his  appearance.  They  ran  away,  found  a  great 
tree,  climbed  it,  and  thought  to  spend  the  night 
there.  But  Hapawila  tracked  them,  came  to  the 
foot  of  the  tree,  looked  up,  and  saw  the  two  sisters 
near  the  top.  He  walked  around,  and  looked  at 
the  tree. 

cc  Let  him  come  up,"  said  the  elder  sister,  "  let 
him  talk  a  while  :  we  may  like  him  better  if  he  talks 
to  us." 

"  No,"  said  the  younger  sister,  "  I  don't  like 
him ;  I  don't  want  to  talk  with  him." 

He  tried  to  climb  the  tree,  but  could  not.  The 
trunk  was  smooth,  and  the  tree  had  no  branches  ex 
cept  at  the  top.  Now  the  elder  sister  fixed  the  tree 
so  that  he  could  climb  to  them ;  she  wished  for 
branches  on  the  trunk  —  they  were  there  at  once, 
and  Hapawila  climbed  up  to  Kedila's  two  daughters. 

The  younger  sister  was  angry  at  this ;  hurried 
down  the  tree,  ran  home,  and  told  her  father  that 
her  sister  and  Hapawila  were  talking  to  each  other 
in  the  tree-top. 

Old  Kedila  said  nothing,  and  went  to  bed.  A  few 
minutes  later  the  elder  sister  was  at  home.  She,  too, 
ran  from  Hapawila  when  she  saw  him  the  third  time. 


342      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Early  next  morning  Kedila  was  very  angry.  He 
caught  his  elder  daughter,  thrust  her  into  the  fire, 
burned  her,  and  threw  her  out  of  doors.  The 
younger  sister  took  up  her  sister's  body,  and  cried 
bitterly.  After  a  while  she  carried  it  to  a  spring, 
crying  as  she  carried  it.  She  washed  her  sister's 
body  in  the  water.  It  lay  one  night  in  the  spring. 
At  daylight  next  morning  the  elder  sister  came  out 
of  the  water  alive,  with  all  her  burns  cured  and  not 
a  sore  left  on  her. 

"  Where  can  we  go  now  ?  Our  father  is  angry  ; 
he  will  kill  us  if  we  go  home,"  said  the  younger 
sister. 

Both  started  west,  singing  as  they  travelled. 

"  I  wish  that  I  had  a  basket  with  every  kind  of 
nice  food  in  it,"  said  the  younger  sister  toward  even 
ing.  Soon  a  basket  was  right  there.  It  dropped 
down  in  front  of  her.  She  looked.  There  were 
pine  nuts  in  the  basket,  different  roots,  and  nice 
food  to  eat. 

Now,  Jewinna  lived  in  the  west.  He  had  a  very 
large  sweat-house  and  many  people.  His  youngest 
and  only  living  son  he  kept  wrapped  up  and  hidden 
away  in  a  bearskin. 

At  sunset  the  two  girls  came  to  Jewinna's  house, 
and  put  down  their  basket  of  roots  near  the  door 
way.  Jewinna's  wife  went  out  and  brought  in  the 
two  girls.  Jewinna  himself  spread  out  a  bearskin 
and  told  the  girls  to  sit  on  it.  He  said  to  his  son, 
who  was  wrapped  up  and  hidden  away,  — 

u  Come  out  and  sit  down  with  these  two  young 
girls  who  have  come  to  us." 


Tirukala  343 


The  youth  looked  through  a  small  hole  in  his 
bearskin ;  saw  the  two  women,  but  said  nothing ; 
did  n't  come  out.  When  night  fell,  the  two  girls 
went  to  sleep.  Next  morning  they  rose,  washed, 
dressed,  and  combed  nicely.  Then  they  went  east 
ward,  went  toward  their  father's  house. 

Jewinna's  son,  Jewinpa,  came  out  soon  after,  swam, 
dressed,  ate,  and  followed  the  two  girls.  They  went 
very  fast,  went  without  stopping;  but  Jewinpa 
caught  up  and  went  with  them  to  their  father's 
house. 

Kediia  was  pleased  with  Jewinpa,  and  treated  both 
his  own  daughters  well.  He  spoke  to  them  as  if 
nothing  had  happened. 

Old  Jewinna  in  the  west  called  all  his  people  and 
said :  "  I  want  you,  my  people,  to  sweat  and  swim, 
then  come  here  and  listen  to  me." 

After  they  had  done  this,  Jewinna  said :  cc  I  am 
sorry  that  my  son  has  gone.  I  must  follow  him 
to-morrow.  I  don't  know  why  he  went.  I  do 
not  wish  him  to  go  far  from  this  place.  Be  ready, 
all  of  you,  and  we  will  go  to-morrow." 

Jewinna  rose  before  daylight,  called  all  his  people, 
and  said :  "  I  cannot  eat.  I  am  sorry  that  my  son 
has  gone." 

All  took  plenty  of  arrows  and  beads  and  otter- 
skins  and  red-headed  wookpecker  scalps,  and  started 
to  follow  the  young  man.  As  he  started,  Jewinna 

sang,  — 

"  I-no-ho,  i-no-ho  no-ha,  i-no-ho  !  " 

A  great  many  followed  and  repeated,  — 
"  I-no-ho,  i-no-ho  no-ha,  i-no-ho  !  " 


344      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

They  went  on  all  day,  went  quickly,  and  at 
sunset  they  were  on  a  smooth  plain,  not  far  from 
Kedila's  place.  Kedila  had  a  large,  rich  sweat-house, 
and  it  was  full  of  people.  The  old  chief  had  a  great 
many  sons-in-law,  and  a  great  many  people  to  serve 
him. 

Jewinna  and  his  men  reached  the  place  some  time 
before  nightfall,  and  Kedila  went  to  the  top  of  his 
sweat-house  and  said  to  the  strangers, — 

"  I  want  you  all  to  come  in  and  enjoy  yourselves. 
Perhaps  my  house  is  small ;  we  will  make  it  bigger." 

He  blew  toward  all  the  four  sides  then,  and  said, 
"  Be  bigger,  my  sweat-house,  be  bigger  !  " 

The  sweat-house  stretched  out  and  was  very  large. 
There  was  room  for  every  one,  and  all  came  in. 

"  Bring  food,  my  sons-in-law,  for  Jewinna  and  his 
people/'  said  Kedila. 

They  brought  in  all  kinds  of  good  food,  and  fed 
every  one  gladly. 

"  Bring  your  beads,  otter-skins,  and  red-headed 
woodpecker  scalps,  and  put  them  down  here  at  this 
side  of  the  sweat-house,"  said  Jewinna  to  his  people. 

All  were  brought  in  and  given  to  Kedila.  He 
took  these  rich  things  gladly,  and  put  them  away. 

Kedila  put  down  on  his  part  wolf-skins  with  deer 
skins  and  gave  them  to  Jewinna. 

"  Let  ten  of  you  go  out  and  hunt  squirrels,"  said 
Jewinna  to  his  people  next  morning ;  "  let  others  fix 
heads  on  their  arrows." 

One  of  the  ten  saw  a  squirrel  on  a  tree;  he  took 
a  club,  climbed  after  the  squirrel,  and  killed  it ;  he 
saw  another  and  another ;  the  tree  was  filled  with 


Tirukala  345 


squirrels.  A  second  man  saw  squirrels  in  a  second 
tree,  and  ^then  a  third  and  a  fourth  in  other  trees. 
Right  away  the  ten  were  killing  squirrels  on  ten 
trees,  and  soon  they  had  ten  piles  of  squirrels,  each 
pile  as  large  as  one  man  could  carry. 

The  two  chiefs  were  delighted  when  they  saw  the 
ten  loads  of  game,  and  there  was  a  great  feast  of 
squirrel  flesh  that  day  at  Kedila's. 

Both  sides  sat  down  then  to  gamble,  played  with 
sticks,  gambled  all  day,  played  till  sunset.  They 
bet  all  kinds  of  skins.  Jewinna's  men  won  a  great 
many  things,  and  won  more  than  the  presents. 

Next  morning  Kedila's  sons-in-law  wanted  to  win 
back  the  beautiful  skins  and  other  things  which  they 
had  played  away,  but  before  noon  they  had  lost 
everything.  When  all  was  gone,  Kedila's  men  were 
angry. 

"  You  don't  play  fairly,"  said  they  to  Jewinna's 
men ;  "  you  shall  not  have  these  things." 

"  We  have  won  everything  fairly,"  said  Jewinna's 
men,  cc  and  we  will  take  these  things  home  with 
us." 

They  began  to  fight  at  once.  Kedila's  sons-in- 
law  attacked  Jewinna's  men  as  soon  as  they  were 
outside  the  sweat-house. 

"  We  are  here  to  fight  if  there  is  need,"  said 
Jewinna;  "go  ahead,  my  men,  you  are  likely  to  die, 
every  one  of  you." 

Jewinna's  men  fought,  going  westward,  fought 
carrying  with  them  what  they  had  won.  Jewinna 
fought  bravely,  and  sang  as  he  fought.  Kedila's 
people  followed. 


346      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

They  fought  till  near  sunset.  All  were  killed  now 
but  eight  men,  four  on  each  side,  —  Jewinna,  his  half- 
brother,  and  two  more  western  people.  Kedila  and 
three  others  of  the  eastern  people  were  alive  yet. 

These  eight  closed  once  more  in  fight ;  both  chiefs 
fell  with  Jewinna's  half-brother  and  Kedila's  youngest 
son-in-law.  Matsklila  was  so  sorry  for  this  last  one 
that  he  threw  away  bow  and  arrows  and  fell  to 
the  ground  crying  bitterly.  Seeing  this,  Chikpina 
picked  up  a  rock  and  beat  Matsklila's  brains  out. 
Wirula  on  Kedila's  side  killed  Chikpina,  and  there 
were  only  two  left,  —  Chichepa,  the  last  of  Je 
winna's  men,  and  Wirula,  the  last  on  Kedila's  side. 

"  Now,"  said  Wirula,  "  we  have  fought  enough. 
You  are  alone.  Go  home  and  tell  the  women  that 
your  people  are  all  killed.  I  am  alone.  I  will  go 
home  and  say  that  all  our  people  are  dead." 

Jewinna  had  taken  his  son  with  him  when  he  left 
Kedila's  house,  and  he,  too,  had  been  killed  in  the 
struggle. 

Now  Wirula  and  Chichepa  started  off  in  opposite 
directions ;  went  a  little  way ;  lay  down  and  rolled 
along  the  ground,  crying  and  lamenting.  Wirula 
sprang  up  and  said,  — 

"  I  will  kill  that  Chichepa.  I  will  kill  him  surely, 
and  there  will  not  be  one  left  of  our  enemies." 

Wirula  turned  and  followed  Chichepa  slowly ; 
drew  his  bow  and  sent  an  arrow  after  him.  But 
Chichepa  dodged  ;  the  arrow  missed.  Then  Wirula 
ran  away. 

"  I  will  kill  that  Wirula  now,"  said  Chichepa. 

He    turned    and    followed   carefully,   cautiously ; 


Tirukala  347 


came  up  with  him,  and  struck  him  fairly  on  the 
skull.  Wirula  dropped  dead. 

Chichepa  turned  homeward  now,  crying  all  the 
time.  When  he  was  near  home,  the  women  saw 
him  stagger,  then  saw  him  fall.  When  he  reached 
the  top  of  the  sweat-house,  he  fell  in,  rolled  along 
the  floor,  and  cried.  He  ate  nothing  that  night; 
he  was  too  sorry  for  his  people.  He  slept  a  while 
and  then  woke  up  crying. 

Early  next  morning  he  took  ten  otter-skins ; 
went  back  to  the  dead  people,  pulled  one  hair  from 
the  head  of  each  one  of  them,  and  filled  the  ten 
otter-skins  with  the  hairs.  He  had  the  work  done 
before  sunset. 

"  Build  a  good  fire,"  said  he  to  the  women  when 
he  reached  home  that  night.  "  Give  me  four  big 
water-baskets."  They  gave  the  baskets.  He  filled 
these  with  water,  and  put  hot  rocks  in  them.  Then 
he  emptied  the  ten  otter-skins  into  the  water. 

"  Stay  all  night  in  your  houses.  Let  no  one  put 
a  head  out.  I  will  stay  in  the  sweat-house,"  said 
he. 

The  four  baskets  boiled  hard.  Just  at  daylight 
the  largest  basket  fell  over;  then  the  second,  the 
third,  and  the  fourth  fell.  After  that  there  were 
voices  all  around  the  sweat-house,  hundreds  upon 
hundreds  of  them. 

"  We  are  cold ;  open  the  door,"  cried  the  voices. 

When  full  daylight  had  come,  Chichepa  opened 
the  door,  and  all  hurried  in.  Jewinna  came  first, 
and  with  him  his  son.  All  followed  them,  dressed  as 
they  had  been  when  they  went  to  Kedila's ;  all  alive 


348      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

and  well,  strong  and  healthy.  Jewinna  laughed. 
He  was  glad. 

On  the  way  home  Kedila's  two  daughters  had 
two  sons,  the  sons  of  Jewinpa.  The  boys  were 
born  the  next  day  after  Jewinpa  had  looked  on  their 
mothers.  They  had  come  from  the  eyes  of  their 
father.  He  had  just  looked  through  his  ringers  at 
Kedila's  two  daughters. 

After  Jewinna's  son  had  been  killed  and  then 
brought  to  life  by  Chichepa,  he  went  east  to  Kedila's 
great  sweat-house,  stayed  five  days  and  nights  there, 
then  took  his  two  wives  and  two  sons  and  went 
back  to  his  father's. 

Kedila's  youngest  son,  born  when  his  father  was 
old,  came  to  life.  He  had  sat  always  at  the  central 
pillar,  at  the  edge  of  the  ashes,  and  had  always  kept 
moving  his  arms,  but  he  had  never  danced  on  that 
or  on  any  floor.  He  had  burned  his  face  because 
he  had  sat  so  near  the  fire,  and  had  sweated  often 
from  being  so  near  it. 

Every  one  laughed  at  him ;  jeered  at  that  "  Burnt 
Face,"  who  sat  night  and  day  in  the  ashes.  He 
spat  always  in  one  place.  Kedila's  eldest  son  had 
said  many  times,  — 

"If  we  are  killed,  we  shall  come  back  to  life 
again." 

"  I  don't  think  that  you  will,"  said  Burnt  Face ; 
"  but  when  I  am  killed  I  shall  live  again  through 
my  own  power." 

Burnt  Face  went  out  to  fight,  and  was  killed 
with  the  others.  Now  a  little  baby  came  right  up 
out  of  the  spittle  of  Burnt  Face,  a  boy.  The 


Tirukala  349 


women  took  him  and  washed  him.  In  one  hour  he 
had  grown  a  good  deal,  in  two  hours  still  more. 
On  the  following  day  he  had  full  growth. 

Then  this  young  man  who  had  risen  from  the 
spittle  went  out  of  the  house.  He  followed  the 
course  of  the  struggle,  found  all  Kedila's  people 
dead,  struck  each  with  his  foot,  turned  him  over. 
All  came  to  life  and  rose  up,  as  well  as  ever. 

When  Jewinna  came  for  his  wives,  their  brothers 
and  brothers-in-law  gave  the  women  presents ;  but 
when  his  two  wives  and  two  sons  went  home  with 
him  and  old  Jewinna  saw  them  coming,  he  took  two 
bearskins  quickly,  and  when  they  were  on  top  of 
the  sweat-house,  he  caught  the  young  boys,  put 
them  into  the  bearskins,  rolled  them  up,  and  put 
them  away  to  be  Weanmauna. 


SUKONIA'S   WIVES   AND   THE    ICHPUL 
SISTERS 


SUKONIA'S   WIVES  AND    THE   ICHPUL 
SISTERS 

PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  creature  or  thing  into  which 
the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Chikpitpa,  young  weasel ;  Jahtaneno,  a  kind  of  shell  creature  ; 
Metsi,  coyote  ;  Ichpul,  frog ;  Suk6nia,  a  name  of  pine  martin,  whose 
ordinary  name  is  Demauna;  Tsore  Jowa,  a  kind  of  eagle. 


OLD  Jahtaneno  had  a  great  many  daughters, 
and  all  but  two  of  these  were  married. 

At  that  time  Sukonia  was  a  great  chief  in  this 
country  about  us.  He  had  a  large  sweat-house, 
and  many  people  to  serve  him. 

One  day  Jahtaneno  called  his  daughters  and  said  : 
"  My  girls,  I  want  you  to  go  to  Sukonia's  house. 
I  have  heard  that  he  is  very  rich ;  go  and  see  him. 
He  has  no  wife  yet ;  he  may  marry  you.  Rise  early 
in  the  morning,  bathe,  comb  your  hair,  go  and  see 
the  chief  Sukonia." 

The  two  sisters  made  no  answer,  said  nothing, 
obeyed  their  father.  They  rose  early  next  morning, 
bathed,  combed  their  hair,  painted  their  faces  red 
(young  people  painted  red  always).  Their  mother 
gave  each  girl  a  nice  basket;  she  hung  beads  on 
their  necks,  and  put  food  in  their  baskets. 

cc  If  any    man    meets    you    on    the    road,"    said 

Jahtaneno,    at  parting,  "  do    not  look   at  him.     A 

23 


354      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

man  richly  dressed  and  wearing  many  beads  will 
come  toward  you,  will  speak  to  you  ;  do  not  look 
at  that  man  ;  he  is  no  one  but  Metsi." 

The  two  girls  began  to  sing  when  they  started, 
and  their  song  was  :  — 

"  AU  ni  a,  au  ni  a,  mo  a  we,  he  16, 
Au  ni  a,  au  ni  a,  mo  a  we,  he  16." 

They  went  northeast,  the  way  which  the  old  man 
had  told  them  to  go.  He  warned  them  further, 
saying,  — 

"  There  is  a  house  this  side  of  Sukonia's,  and  not 
very  far  from  it ;  two  women  live  in  that  house,  two 
old  maids.  Be  sure  not  to  stop  at  that  house.  Do 
not  go  near  these  women  ;  pass  their  place  quickly, 
do  not  stop  before  it,  do  not  talk  to  the  women. 
They  are  bad,  evil  women.  If  you  go  into  their 
house,  you  will  never  come  out  of  it ;  if  you  go,  you 
will  be  killed  there." 

Jahtaneno's  daughters  started,  walked  away 
quickly,  singing  as  they  went, — 

"  Au  ni  a,  aa  ni  a,  mo  a  we,  he  16, 
Au  ni  a,  au  ni  a,  mo  a  we,  he  16." 

Metsi  heard  the  song;  he  listened  and  said  to 
himself:  "  That  is  a  good  song,  that  is  nice  singing ; 
I  like  to  hear  that  song.  I  think  those  two  girls 
are  going  to  the  chief.  I  think  they  are  going  to 
visit  Sukonia  Mujaupa.  Now,  otter-skins  be  here 
before  me,  and  beads  in  plenty,  and  beautiful 
shells." 

He  wished  for  all  other  things  that  he  liked. 
Metsi  dressed  himself  richly  and  waited. 


Sukonia's  Wives  and  the  Ichpul  Sisters     355 

Jahtaneno's  daughters  walked  and  walked  on 
without  stopping,  met  no  one  on  the  way  till  they 
came  to  where  Metsi  was  waiting.  The  younger 
sister  was  walking  ahead  ;  she  saw  Metsi  at  one  side 
of  the  trail,  but  would  not  look  at  him  a  second 
time.  The  elder  sister  looked  a  second  and  a  third 
time. 

"  I  think  that  is  Sukonia  Mujaupa,"  said  she. 

"  Your  father  would  not  say  so,"  answered  the 
younger  sister ;  "  that  is  Metsi." 

But  the  elder  sister  liked  the  stranger's  appear 
ance  ;  she  looked  at  him  many  times. 

<c  I  think  this  is  Sukonia,"  said  she. 

cc  Come  on  with  me,"  said  the  younger  sister. 
"  Have  you  lost  your  eyes  ?  That  is  Metsi." 

The  younger  girl  was  ahead  now  some  distance  ; 
the  elder  stopped  to  look  at  the  stranger  more 
closely. 

"  Which  way  are  you  going  ?  "'  asked  Metsi. 

"  Our  father  sent  us  to  Sukonia  the  chief." 

cc  Oh,  I  am  chief,"  said  Metsi ;  "  you  are  to  come 
with  me.  I  will  start  for  home  very  soon." 

"  My  sister  is  ahead,  she  is  waiting.  I  must 
hurry  and  tell  her  first.  I  will  come  back  to  you 
then." 

She  caught  up  with  her  sister  and  said  :  "  I  will 
go  with  this  man ;  this  is  Sukonia,  the  chief.  He 
said  he  was  chief." 

"  You  must  have  lost  your  mind,"  answered  the 
younger  sister  ;  "  that  is  Metsi.  He  is  no  chief, 
he  is  not  Sukonia." 

The  elder  sister  went  with  the  younger,  but  she 


356      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

wanted  to  go  back  to  Metsi,  she  wished  to  go  with 
him  ;  she  liked  his  dress,  his  words  pleased  her,  she 
believed  him.  Both  went  on,  though  the  elder 
went  against  her  will. 

"  You  will  see  two  black  bearskins  hanging  over 
the  sweat-house  door,'*  said  the  father,  when  his 
daughters  were  starting.  "  Stop  there ;  that  is 
Sukonia's  house,  that  is  the  house  to  which  you  are 
going." 

Toward  sunset  they  came  near  the  place  where 
the  Ichpuls  lived. 

"  Let  us  stop  here,"  said  the  elder  sister,  "  and 
get  something  to  eat.  I  am  hungry." 

"  Our  father  told  us  to  pass  this  house  ;  he  told 
us  not  to  stop  near  it,  not  to  go  to  it,  not  to  look 
at  it,"  said  the  younger  sister ;  and  she  went  on 
without  looking,  she  went  straight  ahead. 

The  elder  sister  followed  her,  but  followed  unwil 
lingly.  At  last  both  came  near  Sukonia's,  and  saw 
the  two  bearskins  hanging  out  over  the  sweat- 
house. 

Chikpitpa,  Sukonia's  little  brother,  was  on  the 
roof,  and  Tsore  Jowa,  his  sister,  was  at  work  mak 
ing  a  house  for  herself  a  little  way  off  at  one  side. 
Chikpitpa  ran  into  the  house,  calling  loudly,  — 

"  Two  girls  are  coming  !  Two  girls  are  coming 
with  baskets  ! " 

The  old  man,  Sukonia's  father,  brought  bearskins 
for  the  young  women  to  sit  on,  and  waited.  The 
sisters  came  in  and  took  the  places  shown  them. 
Chikpitpa  was  in  a  corner  when  the  sisters  sat  down. 
He  ran  to  one  and  then  to  the  other,  looked  at  them, 


Sukonia's  Wives  and  the  Ichpul  Sisters     357 

sat  on  their  laps.  He  was  very  glad  that  the  sisters 
had  come ;  he  liked  to  be  with  them  and  talk  to 
them. 

Old  Sukonia  went  out  and  called  to  Tsore  Jowa, 
"Come,  my  daughter;  bring  food  to  our  guests,  to 
the  young  women  who  have  come  to  us." 

She  brought  deer's  marrow  ;  she  brought  other 
kinds  of  food,  too.  The  sisters  had  put  down  their 
baskets  outside,  near  the  door.  On  the  way  they 
had  said  to  the  baskets,  "  Let  the  food  in  you  be 
nice ;  "  and  when  leaving  them  at  the  door,  they 
said,  "Be  large  and  be  full." 

The  two  small  baskets  stood  outside  now,  very 
large  and  full  of  every  good  food.  Sukonia  came 
home  with,  his  men  about  sunset.  Chikpitpa  sprang 
up  to  the  roof  of  the  house,  and  called  to  his 
brother,  — 

"Two   guests    have   come  to    our  house.     Two 

women  are  sitting  inside.     They  are  sitting  in  your 

i        » 
place. 

The  men  came  in,  and  Sukonia  sat  down  with  the 
sisters.  They  pleased  him  ;  he  liked  their  looks. 

"  Have  you  brought  food  to  our  guests  ?  "  asked 
Sukonia. 

"  I  brought  some,"  said  Tsore  Jowa. 

"  Oh,  give  more.     Bring  plenty  of  everything  !  " 

The  two  baskets  which  Jahtaneno's  daughters 
had  brought  were  carried  into  the  house.  The  sis 
ters  invited  all  present  to  try  their  food.  All  the 
men  ate  food  from  the  baskets  and  praised  it. 
Sukonia,  the  chief,  was  pleased  more  and  more  with 
the  sisters  that  evening,  and  married  them. 


358      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

After  all  the  people  had  eaten  next  morning, 
Sukonia  went  to  hunt.  He  took  many  men  with 
him. 

That  day  Sukonia's  sisters  showed  his  wives  every 
place  in  the  house  and  outside  it,  —  showed  them 
where  venison,  roots,  and  acorns  were  kept ;  showed 
them  where  the  water  was.  The  spring  was  in  the 
house  in  one  corner,  carefully  covered. 

After  some  days  Sukonia  said  to  his  wives  :  "  I 
want  you  to  tell  me  what  your  father  said  when  you 
were  leaving  him.  When  does  he  want  you  to  go 
back  ?  When  does  he  wish  you  to  visit  him  ?  " 

"  He  did  not  tell  us  when  to  go  to  him.  He  did 
not  tell  us  to  go  back  at  all,  he  only  told  us  to  come 
here ;  but  we  want  to  see  him.  We  want  to  tell 
him  how  we  live  here." 

"  Well,"  said  Sukonia,  "  go  to-morrow ;  go  to  see 
your  father.  What  does  he  eat  ?  What  does  he 
like  ? " 

"He  eats  salmon;  he  likes  nice  beads,  furs,  and 
shells." 

"  I  will  send  him  some  of  my  meat,  I  will  send 
him  venison.  I  will  send  him  beads  and  furs." 

"  May  I  go  with  my  sisters-in-law  ? "  asked  Chik- 
pitpa. 

"  No,  I  want  you  here,"  said  Sukonia.  "  I  want 
you  here,  my  little  brother." 

The  two  women  rose  early  next  morning,  and 
Tsore  Jowa  helped  them  to  make  ready.  Sukonia 
gave  them  fat  venison,  and  every  kind  of  bright 
beads  and  rich  presents  for  their  father. 

They  started ;  went  as  far  as  the  Ichpul  house, 


Sukonia's  Wives  and  the  Ichpul  Sisters     359 

where  the  two  frog  sisters  lived.  The  two  old  maids 
were  in  the  road  and  spoke  to  Sukonia's  wives. 
They  were  very  kind  and  pleasant. 

"  Put  down  your  baskets  and  sit  a  while  with  us 
to  talk,"  said  they. 

The  Jahtaneno  sisters  were  frightened.  They  did 
not  wish  to  stop.  They  feared  the  Ichpul  women, 
did  not  like  to  make  them  angry  by  refusing.  They 
were  afraid  to  sit  down,  afraid  to  refuse. 

"  Oh,  how  your  hair  looks !  let  me  see  your 
head,"  said  one  Ichpul  woman  to  the  elder  sister. 

"  Oh,  how  your  hair  looks  !  "  said  the  other  to 
the  younger  sister;  "let  me  look  at  your  head." 

"  Put  your  head  on  rny  lap,"  said  each  Ichpul 
sister  to  each  of  Sukonia's  wives. 

Each  was  afraid,  but  still  put  her  head  on  the  old 
maid's  lap.  The  Ichpul  sisters  killed  Sukonia's 
wives,  flayed  their  bodies,  and  put  their  skins  on 
themselves. 

About  sunset  next  day  the  two  frog  women  went 
to  Sukonia's  house ;  went  in  and  sat  where  Jahta- 
neno's  daughters  had  always  sat;  took  the  place  of 
Sukonia's  wives  ;  looked  just  like  them  because  they 
had  their  skins  on. 

About  dusk  Sukonia  came  home  from  the  hunt. 
Chikpitpa,  who  ran  ahead,  rushed  into  the  sweat- 
house  to  see  if  his  sisters-in-law  had  come  back  from 
their  father's.  He  saw  the  two  women,  looked  at 
them ;  they  seemed  like  his  sisters-in-law,  but  when 
he  came  near  he  cried  out  at  once,  — 

"  Phu  !  they  smell  like  frogs  !  The  Ichpul  sis 
ters  are  here:  these  are  the  frog  old  maids  1  " 


360      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

He  cried  and  ran  out  to  meet  his  brother. 

"  Brother/'  said  he,  "  the  Ichpul  women  are  in 
our  house.  They  killed  my  sisters-in-law  to-day. 
I  know  they  did."  And  he  kept  crying,  "  They 
killed  my  sisters-in-law,  they  killed  my  poor  sisters- 
in-law  ! "  and  he  cried  without  stopping,  cried  bit 
terly. 

The  two  old  maids  wearing  the  skins  of  Sukonia's 
wives  were  making  acorn  porridge.  When  it  was 
almost  ready,  Sukonia  looked  at  the  two  women. 
They  seemed  like  his  wives,  and  he  was  in  doubt, 
till  all  at  once  he  thought :  c<  I  will  ask  them  to  bring 
water  from  the  spring.  If  they  know  where  the 
water  is,  they  are  my  wives ;  if  not,  they  are  false." 

"  Bring  me  water,  my  wife,"  said  he  to  one  of  the 
women. 

She  stood  up,  took  a  water  basket,  turned  toward 
the  door,  and  said  to  Chikpitpa,  "  Come  out  with  me 
for  water,  my  little  brother-in-law." 

"  Wait,"  said  Sukonia.    "  You  need  not  go  now." 

She  came  back  to  the  fire  and  sat  down  with  her 
sister.  Sukonia  knew  now  that  those  were  strange 
women. 

"  Whip  me,"  said  Chikpitpa  to  his  brother,  "  I 
will  cry,  roll  around  and  kick.  I  will  kick  those 
nasty  frogs  !  I  will  kill  them." 

When  the  acorn  porridge  was  boiling  hard, 
Sukonia  struck  Chikpitpa  with  a  switch  and  scolded 
him :  "  Why  are  you  crying  ?  I  can  do  nothing, 
you  cry  so." 

The  boy  rolled  on  the  floor,  cried  more  than  ever, 
kicked,  rolled  around,  kicked  as  hard  as  he  could, 


Sukonia's  Wives  and  the  Ichpul  Sisters    361 

rolled  toward  the  fire  and  kicked,  kicked  one  woman 
into  the  boiling  porridge,  kicked  the  other  one  into 
the  burning  fire,  and  in  this  way  he  killed  the  false 
sisters. 

Chikpitpa  was  glad  ;  he  laughed.  Sukonia  threw 
the  two  women  out  doors,  and  mourned  all  that 
night  for  his  wives.  Next  morning  early  he  rose 
and  said,  "  Stay  home  to-day,  all  of  you." 

"Where  are  you  going?"  asked  Chikpitpa. 

"  Stay  here,  my  little  brother,"  said  Sukonia.  "  I 
am  going  somewhere." 

Sukonia  followed  the  trail  of  his  wives,  reached 
the  place  where  the  Ichpul  sisters  had  stopped  them, 
and  found  their  dead  bodies.  He  took  out  his  bow 
string  of  deer  sinew,  struck  the  two  women,  called 
them,  raised  them  to  life. 

"  How  were  you  killed  ?  "  asked  Sukonia  ;  "  how 
did  it  happen  ?  Did  you  go  to  the  Ichpul  house  ?  " 

"  We  did  not  go  to  that  house  ;  those  two  women 
were  out  on  the  road  and  they  stopped  us.  They 
asked  us  to  sit  down  and  talk  with  them.  We  were 
afraid  to  sit,  afraid  to  refuse.  We  sat  down,  and 
they  killed  us." 

Sukonia  took  his  wives  home.  When  they  were 
in  sight  of  the  house,  Chikpitpa  was  on  the  roof 
watching. 

"  Oh,  those  are  your  sisters-in-law,"  said  he  to 
Tsore  Jowa ;  and  he  ran  out  to  meet  them. 

"Go,  now,  to  your  father,"  said  Sukonia,  next 
morning.  "  Carry  presents  and  venison  to  him, 
and  be  here  at  sunset." 

The  two  sisters  rose  early,  took  two  baskets,  and 


362      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

started.  At  noon  they  were  at  their  father's  house. 
Old  Jahtaneno  was  glad  when  he  looked  at  his 
daughters  and  saw  the  nice  presents. 

cc  Our  husband  told  us  to  go  home  to-day,  and 
we  cannot  stay  long  with  you." 

They  took  back  many  presents  from  their  father, 
and  were  home  at  sunset.  They  met  no  trouble  on 
the  way.  The  Ichpul  sisters  were  dead,  and  Metsi 
did  not  meet  them  a  second  time. 


THE    FINDING    OF    FIRE 


THE    FINDING   OF    FIRE 


PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  creature  or  thing  into  which 
the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Ahalamila,  gray  wolf ;  Au  Mujaupa,  master  of  fire  ;  Chil  Daiauna, 
big  hail ;  Chil  Wareko,  big  rain  ;  Juhauju,  west  wind  ;  Jukami,  north 
wind  ;  Jukilauyu,  east  wind  ;  Juwaju,  south  wind;  Gagi,  crow  ;  Metsi, 
coyote;  Patcha,  snow;  Sabil  Keyu,  small  hail;  Shushu  Marimi,  do 
woman;  Siwegi,  a  small  bird,  unknown. 


IN  the  beginning  Au  Mujaupa  had  fire  very  far 
down  south  on  the  other  side  of  a  big  river. 
The  people  in  this  country  had  no  real  fire ;  they 
had  a  kind  of  fire,  but  it  was  n't  good.  It  just 
warmed  a  little ;  it  would  n't  cook  like  the  fire 
which  we  have  now.  People  killed  deer  and  fished3 
but  they  had  to  ea\.  fish  and  venison  raw. 

In  the  west  people  had  fire,  but  it  would  n't  cook. 
In  the  north  there  were  many  people,  and  in  the 
east ;  but  they  had  no  fire  that  would  cook. 

"  There  must  be  fire  in  some  place,"  said  the 
people  at  Pawi ;  "how  can  we  find  it?" 

"  I  will  go  out  to-night  to  look,"  said  Ahalamila. 

That  night  he  went  to  look  for  fire.  He  went  to 
the  top  of  Wahkanopa,  looked  east  and  west,  saw 
no  fire  in  either  place.  Next  he  looked  north ;  no 
fire  in  the  north.  He  looked  south ;  saw  no  fire 
anywhere. 


366      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Ahalamila  came  home  and  talked  to  the  chief  and 
people.  "  I  saw  no  fire/*  said  he  ;  "I  could  not  see 
any,  but  I  will  go  to  a  better  place  the  next  time 
and  take  some  one  with  me.  I  will  go  to-morrow 
night  to  the  top  of  Wahkalu.  Who  here  has  a 
good  head,  who  a  sharp  eye  to  see  fire  ?  I  want  to 
look  for  fire  to-morrow  night  from  the  top  of 
Wahkalu ;  from  that  place  I  will  look  all  around 
the  whole  world  to  find  fire." 

"  We  have  a  man  here,"  said  the  chief,  "  who  can 
see  through  a  tree,  who  can  see  down  through  the 
earth  to  bed  rock,  who  can  see  through  a  mountain. 
You  can  take  him  to-morrow  night  with  you.  He 
is  Siwegi." 

Ahalamila  went  to  Siwegi.  "  Will  you  go  to 
morrow  night  to  look  for  fire  ?  "  asked  he. 

"  I  will  go  if  the  way  is  not  too  long." 

"Oh,"  said  Ahalamila,  "it  will  not  be  long.  I 
will  shorten  it." 

Siwegi  agreed  to  go  ;  and  when  the  time  came, 
they  started.  Ahalamila  doubled  up  the  trail  and 
made  it  short ;  in  an  hour  they  were  on  the  top  of 
Wahkalu,  both  ready  now  to  look  for  fire.  The 
night  is  very  dark ;  they  can  see  the  smallest  fire 
easily. 

They  look  to  the  east,  look  with  great  care,  look 
a  good  while,  see  no  fire ;  they  look  to  the  north  in 
the  same  way,  see  no  fire ;  they  look  to  the  west,  no 
fire  there.  Now  Ahalamila  looks  south,  looks  a 
long  time,  and  sees  nothing :  he  looks  half  an  hour 
to  the  south,  sees  a  little  glimmer  like  a  light  very 
far  away. 


The  Finding  of  Fire  367 

"  Siwegi,"  said  he,  "  I  see  a  small  light  down 
south  ;  it  seems  like  fire  far  away.  I  think  it  is  fire." 

"Look  again/'  said  Siwegi,  "look  sharply." 
"Maybe  it  is  fire." 

"  I  have  looked  enough,  I  think  it  is  fire,"  said 
Ahalamila ;  "  but  I  want  you  to  see  it,  I  want  you 
to  look  now." 

Siwegi  looked  a  little  while.  "  Yes,  that  is  fire," 
said  he. 

"  Well,"  said  Ahalamila,  "  we  see  fire,  we  know 
that  it  is  far  off  in  the  south." 

Ahalamila  made  the  road  short,  and  they  were 
back  at  Pawi  in  an  hour.  "  We  have  found  fire," 
said  Ahalamila  to  the  chief  and  the  people.  "  We 
know  where  fire  is,  we  can  have  fire  now." 

"  We  must  have  that  fire,"  said  the  people. 

"  There  is  no  way  to  get  the  fire  but  to  go  for  it," 
said  Ahalamila. 

"  Well,"  said  the  chief,  "  since  Ahalamila  saw  the 
fire  he  will  go  for  it ;  but  the  road  is  long.  Who  will 
go  and  help  him  ?  Who  will  go  for  fire  with 
Ahalamila  ?  " 

About  fifty  men  offered  to  go,  and  they  started 
next  morning.  The  journey  was  long  and  very 
hard.  Soon  two  or  three  men  were  tired  and  went 
home  ;  not  long  after  more  were  tired,  and  when 
they  had  gone  far  down  to  a  great  river,  just  north 
of  where  the  fire  was,  of  the  fifty  who  started  only 
three  were  left,  —  Ahalamila,  Metsi,  and  old  Shushu 
Marima. 

Just  south  of  the  great  river  Au  Mujaupa  had  a 
very  big  village,  and  in  the  village  a  large  sweat- 


368      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

house.  In  that  house  he  kept  the  fire,  and  had  a 
great  crowd  of  people  living  in  the  country  outside 
who  served  him,  and  kept  every  one  in  the  world 
from  stealing  his  fire.  These  people  were  Patcha, 
Chil  Wareko,  Chil  Daiauna,  Sabil  Keyu,  Juhauju, 
Juwaju,  Jukami,  Jukilauju. 

The  three,  Ahalamila,  Metsi,  and  old  Shushu 
Marimi,  were  at  the  northern  end  of  the  bridge,  and 
sat  there  watching  till  all  at  the  sweat-house  was 
quiet.  The  bridge  was  very  narrow  and  slippery  ; 
so  Ahalamila  put  pitch  on  his  feet  and  hands,  and 
on  Metsi's  and  Shushu's  feet  and  hands.  All  three 
crossed  without  slipping,  and  found  every  one  asleep 
in  the  sweat-house. 

The  old  chief,  Au  Mujaupa,  had  covered  the  fire 
well  with  ashes.  All  was  silent  within  and  without. 
Ahalamila,  Metsi,  and  Shushu  crept  onto  the  sweat- 
house  quietly,  and  looked  in.  All  were  asleep. 

"  I  will  go  down  first/'  said  Metsi. 

"  No,  I  will  go  first,"  said  Ahalamila.  "  I  will 
get  the  fire  and  reach  it  to  you;  you  take  it  and 
run  very  fast." 

Ahalamila  slipped  down.  Metsi  and  Shushu 
remained  on  the  roof.  Ahalamila  opened  the  fire 
carefully,  took  out  a  good  piece  and  handed  it  to  the 
old  woman.  She  put  it  in  her  ear.  He  handed 
her  another;  she  put  it  in  her  other  ear,  slipped 
down  from  the  top  of  the  sweat-house,  ran  across 
the  bridge,  and  hurried  away. 

Ahalamila  gave  Metsi  two  pieces.  He  put  them 
in  his  two  ears  and  started.  Ahalamila  filled  his 
own  ears  and  followed. 


The  Finding  of  Fire  369 

The  three  had  run  over  two  mountains  when  Au 
Mujaupa  woke  up  and  saw  that  the  ashes  had  been 
opened,  and  that  fire  had  been  taken,  that  a  coal  had 
fallen  near  the  central  pillar.  He  sprang  up,  went 
to  the  top  of  the  sweat-house,  shouted,  called  to  all 
his  people,  — 

"  Fire  has  been  stolen  !  Fire  has  been  stolen  ! 
Go,  you,  and  follow !  " 

Now  Patcha,  Chil  Wareko,  Chil  Daiauna,  Sabil 
Keyu,  and  all  the  wind  people  rose  up  and  followed, 
raced  and  stormed  in  every  direction.  So  much  rain 
came  that  the  whole  country  was  covered  with  water. 

Now  Juwaju  was  ahead  of  all  Au  Mujaupa's  peo 
ple  chasing  the  three  robbers.  Chil  Wareko  came 
too,  and  fell  upon  the  three  furiously ;  he  drenched 
and  chilled  them.  Next  came  Jukami  and  Patcha, 
who  nearly  froze  them. 

Metsi  was  almost  dead ;  the  fire  went  out  in  both 
his  ears.  Ahalamila  lost  his  fire,  too.  Chil  Wareko, 
Juwaju,  and  Patcha  quenched  it,  and  then  he  let  it 
fall. 

Old  Shushu  was  behind  a  good  way,  but  she  ran 
all  the  time.  She  kept  her  hand  on  one  ear  as  she 
ran.  She  lost  the  fire  out  of  her  other  ear,  and 
when  the  piece  fell  out  it  broke  in  two  and  fell 
apart.  Chil  Wareko  picked  up  the  fire  and  took  it 
back  ;  he  found  six  pieces,  thought  that  he  had  all. 
He  and  the  others  stopped  following. 

Ahalamila  and  Metsi  ran  ahead,  left  old  Shushu 
to  get  on  the  best  she  could,  and  reached  home  first. 
They  were  wet,  very  cold,  and  tired. 

"  Where  is  your  fire  ?  "  asked  the  chief. 

24 


370      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  I  have  none;  Chil  Wareko  took  my  fire,"  said 
Ahalamila. 

"  Where  is  your  fire  ?  "  asked  the  chief. 

"  Chil  Wareko  took  it,"  said  Metsi. 

The  chief  was  very  sorry,  and  all  the  people  were 
sorry.  The  old  woman  did  not  come,  and  the 
people  said,  "  She  must  be  frozen  dead." 

At  sundown  old  Shushu  came  back ;  she  came 
very  slowly,  was  terribly  tired,  but  courageous.  She 
reached  the  sweat-house,  came  in,  said  nothing,  lay 
down  wet  and  cold. 

"  Where  is  the  fire  ?  "  asked  she  ;  "did  not  Ahal 
amila  and  Metsi  bring  fire  ?  They  are  young  and 
strong,  and  had  plenty  of  fire." 

After  a  while  she  stood  up,  drew  some  wood-dust 
together,  then  sat  down,  opened  her  ear  and  held  it 
over  the  dust ;  a  big  piece  of  fire  came  out.  Wood 
was  brought  quickly,  and  soon  the  whole  sweat- 
house  was  warm.  The  people  who  were  cold  before 
were  warm  now  and  glad. 

"  Bring  meat  and  we  will  try  how  it  tastes  when 
't  is  roasted,"  said  the  chief. 

He  cut  some  venison  and  roasted  it.  One  and 
another  tasted  the  meat.  "  It  is  very  good,"  said 
they ;  a  third  one  said,  "  I  '11  try  it,"  and  Gagi  took 
a  taste.  "  Oh,  it  is  sweet,  very  good,"  said  Gagi. 

Each  one  roasted  meat  and  ate  heartily.  Next 
day  all  went  to  hunt,  and  had  a  great  feast  in  the 
evening.  A  chief  from  another  place  came  to  the 
feast  and  got  fire,  took  it  home  with  him.  Soon  all 
people  had  fire  ;  every  one  had  fire  in  all  parts  of 
the  country. 


HAKA    KAINA  -  I. 


HAKA    KAINA 

PERSONAGES 

AFTER  their  transformation  the  personages  in  "Haka  Kaina" 
were  mainly  birds.  I  have  not  been  able  to  identify  the  majority 
of  them,  and  would  refer  to  the  notes  to  this  myth.  Hwipajusi, 
the  father  of  the  three  girls,  is  a  whistling  swan ;  we  find  among  the 
characters  Gowila,  a  lizard,  Malwila,  meadow-lark,  and  Maibyu, 
wood  dove.  The  only  way  to  identify  such  characters  surely  is  to 
hire  men  to  shoot  them  in  the  woods  and  mountains.  This  I 
have  done  as  often  as  possible,  but  in  the  present  case  the  speci 
mens  were  lost  before  I  could  fix  their  identity.  All  the  informa 
tion  at  my  disposal  now  will  be  found  in  the  notes. 


HAKA  KAINA  was  the  greatest  chief  in  this 
country ;  his  very  large  and  beautiful  sweat- 
house  was  Wahkalu. 

One  time  Haka  Kaina  stole  the  three  daughters  of 
Hwipajusi,  a  chief  who  lived  down  in  the  far  south, 
beyond  the  valley  of  the  Daha.  When  Haka  Kaina 
had  brought  the  three  girls  home,  he  said,  — 

"  I  must  find  a  good  man,  a  careful  man,  now,  to 
guard  these  three  girls,  a  man  who  never  sleeps  in 
the  night-time.  Hwipajusi  will  send  people  here  to 
steal  them  back ;  we  must  be  ready  for  his  men." 

At  last  the  chief  chose  Hohwitina  because  he 
whistled  all  night.  Every  one  thought  that  he 
never  slept,  for  he  whistled  all  the  time,  whistled 
without  stopping  from  evening  till  daylight.  Hoh 
witina  watched  the  three  girls  a  good  many  nights  ; 


374      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

he  never  looked  after  them  during  daylight,  for  he 
rested  at  that  time.  They  were  brought  to  him  at 
dusk  every  evening  to  the  central  pillar  of  the  sweat- 
house.  The  arms  of  each  girl  were  tied  together ; 
one  girl  was  tied  to  Hohwitina's  left  arm,  the  second 
to  his  right  arm,  and  the  third  behind  to  his  waist. 

After  a  time  old  Hwipajusi  sent  ten  of  the  best 
southern  men  to  bring  back  his  three  daughters  ; 
the  names  of  these  men  were  Pusi  Tena,  Wija  Lala, 
Chami  Nuri,  Malwila,  Gowila,  Grana  Rana,  Dek- 
kech,  Pushi  Chowa,  Manu  Rana,  Taki  Lapiki. 
These  men  were  called  Yolaina,  —  that  is,  the 
bravest,  men  who  feared  nothing. 

These  men  painted  their  arms  and  faces  black 
before  starting,  took  good  bows  and  arrows,  and 
went  to  Wahkalu. 

Hwipajusi  had  kept  his  three  daughters  always 
hidden  away  in  his  sweat-house,  rolled  up  in  otter- 
skin  carefully ;  but  Haka  Kaina,  the  chief  of  Wah 
kalu,  had  stolen  in  while  all  were  sleeping  and 
carried  away  the  three  maidens. 

Hwipajusi's  ten  men  came  near  Wahkalu  one 
evening  between  dusk  and  darkness,  and  were  right 
there  near  the  sweat-house.  Haka  Kaina,  the  chief, 
saw  them  coming,  and  prepared  all  his  forces  to 
fight. 

"  These  are  people,"  said  he,  "  sent  by  Hwipajusi, 
very  brave  and  strong  men.  You  must  not  let  them 
come  near  the  three  girls  ;  you  must  not  let  them  go 
from  here  ;  you  must  not  let  them  take  the  girls 
nor  go  away  themselves  ;  you  must  kill  these  ten 
enemies." 


Haka  Kaina  375 


One  of  the  Haka  Kaina's  men  had  a  great  ham 
mer.  He  put  a  block  of  flint  at  the  point  which 
the  ten  men  attacked  when  they  came  near ;  he 
struck  the  flint  with  his  hammer ;  small  sharp  bits 
flew  off  from  it  like  rain,  fell  on  the  attackers,  and 
cut  them  terribly.  The  ten  men  had  no  fear  of 
flint  nor  of  other  things.  They  rushed  on  until  five 
were  killed ;  the  five  others  were  not  frightened  and 
they  went  forward.  The  man  with  the  hammer 
struck  away  on  the  flint  block  till  five  more  were 
killed. 

Now  Hwipajusi's  ten  brave  men  who  feared  noth 
ing  were  dead. 

Hwipajusi  waited  for  his  men  to  come  back, 
looked  for  them,  hoped  to  see  them  bring  his 
daughters,  but  the  men  could  not  come  ;  they  were 
dead.  They  had  promised  their  chief  to  bring  the 
girls  surely,  but  they  could  not  bring  them  ;  the  ten 
were  dead  at  Wahkalu. 

Hwipajusi  sent  ten  other  men,  men  who  were  very 
wise  and  cunning.  These  ten  were  Itchi  Watibila, 
Chini  Pachuna,  Maibyu,  Tsigaga,  Maltama,  Ho- 
wichi  Laina,  Aichuch  Hisipa,  Tsawila,  Haiyude 
Maupa,  Tarku  Wana.  These  ten  men  came  near 
the  sweat-house,  sat  down,  and  hid  there  in  the 
evening. 

"  I  will  go  up  first  on  the  sweat-house,"  said 
Maibyu ;  "  you  are  too  heavy,  your  tread  is  heavy. 
If  you  go,  they  will  hear  you,  they  will  wake  up  ; 
we  shall  be  killed,  like  the  ten  who  came  before  us.'* 

"  I  know  the  man  who  watches  the  girls,"  said 
Maibyu  ;  "  he  whistles  all  night,  but  he  sleeps  ;  no 


376      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

one  in  the  sweat-house  sleeps  more  soundly  than  he 
does.  Now,  when  he  is  asleep,  I  will  go  down  and 
take  the  girls  from  him." 

"  I  will  go  myself,"  said  Itchi  Watibila. 

Haka  Kaina's  people  danced  that  evening,  and 
played  till  late  at  night.  Hwipajusi's  ten  men  crept 
near  and  watched  the  people  dancing,  but  no  one 
saw  them.  Haka  Kaina  sat  inside  the  sweat-house, 
smoking  and  talking,  talking  loud ;  the  ten  heard 
his  voice.  At  last,  when  it  was  late,  all  the  men 
went  into  the  sweat-house  and  other  houses,  and  in 
time  they  were  asleep  everywhere.  All  were  silent 
except  Hohwitina,  who  sat  watching  the  girls  at  the 
central  pillar ;  and  he  whistled  all  the  time. 

The  ten  went  around  the  sweat-house ;  saw  that 
all  were  sleeping.  They  heard  no  noise  but  the 
whistling  of  Hohwitina. 

"  I  know  that  he  is  asleep  now,"  said  Itchi 
Watibila. 

Four  men  went  to  the  top  of  the  sweat-house. 
The  watcher  was  whistling  not  so  loudly,  but  whis 
tling.  Itchi  Watibila  gave  his  arrows  to  Chini 
Pachuna,  and  Chini  Pachuna  gave  them  to  Maibyu, 
for  he  had  to  lift  up  the  girls. 

"That  man  sleeps,  I  know,"  said  Itchi  Watibila; 
and  he  went  down  slowly  along  the  pillar,  reached 
the  bottom,  and  sat  a  while  to  listen.  He  looked 
closely  at  Hohwitina,  and  saw  that  he  was  whistling 
with  his  eyes  shut.  Itchi  Watibila  laughed  to  him 
self.  He  saw  that  one  girl  was  tied  to  each  of 
Hohwitina's  arms  and  one  to  his  waist  from  behind. 
The  girls  were  awake,  all  three  of  them. 


Haka  Kaina  377 


Itchi  Watibila  untied  the  right-hand  girl  carefully  ; 
raised  her  to  Chini  Pachuna,  who  gave  her  to 
Maibyu  at  the  top  of  the  sweat-house.  Hohwitina 
whistled  on,  and  Itchi  Watibila  took  the  left-hand 
girl,  raised  her  to  the  other  man  ;  at  last  he  took 
the  third,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Wipajusi, 
made  no  noise,  raised  her  to  the  others,  then  climbed 
up  himself,  rested  a  moment  on  the  top  of  the 
sweat-house,  looked  down.  Hohwitina  was  whis 
tling  away  and  asleep  all  the  time.  The  ten  slipped 
down  without  noise  and  started  home ;  hurried  off 
toward  the  south  with  Hwipajusi's  three  daughters. 

Old  Haka  Kaina  rose  up  at  daylight,  walked 
around  the  sweat-house,  went  to  the  central  pillar 
to  look  at  Hohwitina  and  the  three  girls  he  was 
guarding;.  He  saw  Hohwitina,  heard  how  he  was 
whistling,  saw  nobody  near  him,  —  no  girls  tied  to 
his  arms  or  his  waist. 

"  He  has  let  the  girls  go,"  thought  Haka  Kaina. 
"You  whistle  all  night,  but  don't  watch,"  said  Haka 
Kaina,  pushing  him.  He  woke  him. 

Hohwitina  looked  at  his  right  arm,  no  girl ; 
looked  at  his  left,  the  second  was  gone ;  felt  at  his 
back,  there  was  no  one  there. 

"  Where  are  the  girls  ?  "  asked  Haka  Kaina. 

"  I  cannot  tell,"  said  Hohwitina. 

Haka  Kaina  looked  around  and  saw  tracks  in  the 
ashes. 

"  You  said  that  you  never  sleep  at  night ;  now 
look  at  those  tracks ;  those  are  somebody's  tracks, 
somebody  came  here  last  night  What  were  you 
doing  ?  Were  you  awake  ?  were  you  sleeping  ?  Did 


378      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

you  let  the  girls  go  because  you  were  willing,  or  did 
somebody  take  them  while  you  were  sleeping  ?  " 

Hohwitina  said  nothing,  held  down  his  head. 
Haka  Kaina  went  out,  and  saw  tracks  on  the  sweat- 
house,  then  he  saw  tracks  below  at  some  distance 
away  from  the  sweat-house. 

"  People  came  from  the  south  and  took  the  three 
girls,"  said  he ;  "  of  course  they  were  sent  by 
Hwipajusi." 

Haka  Kaina  talked  all  the  next  night  to  his 
people,  told  how  sorry  he  was  that  the  girls  had 
been  taken,  and  to  two  men  he  said,  "  You  must 
go  and  bring  back  the  girls  to  us." 

The  two  were  Bohkwi  and  Simu  Nupchowa  ;  they 
could  run  fast,  and  were  very  wise  persons. 

Now,  on  the  top  of  his  sweat-house,  at  the  central 
pillar,  Hwipajusi  had  posted  Matsklila  as  a  sentry, 
and  he  watched  carefully  to  see  who  would  come. 
Hwipajusi  knew  that  Haka  Kaina  would  try  to  get 
the  girls  back  again.  Matsklila  had  a  knife  in  his 
nose  and  one  in  each  arm. 

Bohkwi  and  Simu  Nupchowa  set  out  to  bring  the 
girls  back  from  the  south.  Just  at  sunset  one 
evening  they  came  near  the  village  ;  they  saw  crowds 
of  people  everywhere,  young  men  and  women  at 
play  in  the  great  village. 

Old  Hwipajusi  sat  talking ;  and  a  great  many 
people,  old  and  young,  men  and  women,  sat  around 
him  and  listened.  Haka  Kama's  two  men  went 
near  the  sweat-house. 

"  I  am  going  in,"  said  BohkwL 

"  No,  I  am  going,"  said  Simu  Nupchowa.    "  You 


Haka  Kaina  379 


cannot  run  fast.  You  stand  near,  and  when  I  come 
out  you  run  ahead,  and  I  can  carry  the  three  girls 
easily.  I  will  catch  up  with  you." 

The  people  sat  there  near  the  sweat-house  and 
listened  to  the  chief  as  he  talked.  "  Be  on  the 
watch ;  they  will  come  to-night,  they  will  come,  I 
am  sure,"  said  Hwipajusi. 

After  a  time  all  separated,  went  to  their  houses, 
and  lay  down  to  sleep.  At  midnight,  when  all  was 
silent,  Haka  Kaina's  two  men  crept  up  and  climbed 
the  sweat-house  to  look  in  at  the  top.  Matsklila 
was  at  his  post  behind  the  central  pillar,  standing 
still.  Haka  Kama's  men  did  not  see  him. 

cc  I  will  look  in,"  said  Bohkwi. 

cc  So  will  I,"  said  Simu  Nupchowa. 

They  stretched  their  heads  and  looked.  They 
leaned  over  the  opening,  stretched  their  necks  far. 
That  moment  Matsklila  moved  quickly,  and  both 
their  heads  dropped  off,  rolled  down,  and  fell  to  the 
earth  outside  the  sweat-house. 

When  Hwipajusi  rose  up  in  the  morning,  he 
went  outside  and  saw  two  heads  lying  near  the 
sweat-house. 

"  Wake  up,  jump  up,  my  sons,"  cried  he,  calling 
to  the  people ;  "  enemies  were  here  last  night." 

All  hurried  out  and  saw  two  bodies  and  two 
heads.  One  asked,  "  Who  is  this  lying  dead  ?  "  A 
second  asked,  "  Who  is  the  other  man  ?  " 

"  I  know  them  both,"  said  Hwipajusi.  "  One  is 
Bohkwi,  the  other  Simu  Nupchowa,  two  great  men 
in  Haka  Kaina's  forces." 

The  two  lay  there  behind  the  sweat-house  all  the 


380      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

day.  That  evening  Hwipajusi  summoned  in  his 
people,  and  talked  to  them.  "  Fix  your  arrows 
well,  look  at  your  bows,  and  have  all  your  arms 
ready.  Haka  Kaina  will  send  men  here  against 
us ;  he  wants  to  steal  my  daughters  again,  or  take 
them  away  in  spite  of  me/* 

They  waited  at  Wahkalu  for  Bohkwi  and  Simu 
Nupchowa.  When  the  two  men  did  not  come,  old 
Haka  Kaina  said,  "  I  think  those  two  men  are 
dead." 

He  called  all  his  people  together  and  said :  "  We 
must  go  down  and  make  war  on  Hwipajusi ;  there  is 
no  other  way.  He  stole  those  three  girls  from  me. 
Those  three  girls  are  mine.  I  must  have  them  back 
again." 

All  dressed  next  morning,  put  on  their  feathers, 
blackened  their  faces. 

"  Now,  my  men,"  said  Haka  Kaina ;  "  arm,  stand 
out  on  a  broad  place,  let  me  see  you,  then  stand  in 
a  circle  round  the  sweat-house.  I  want  to  see  how 
you  look  when  all  together." 

They  went  out  and  stood  together  on  a  broad 
place.  Haka  Kaina  was  a  long  time  going  among 
them.  After  that  all  came  back  and  stood  in  a 
circle  around  the  whole  sweat-house.  All  shouted 
and  sprang  about  a  good  while ;  then  they  went 
back,  took  off  their  big  elkskin  armor. 

"You  look  well,"  said  Haka  Kaina.  "You  are 
ready  for  war,  and  we  will  start  to-morrow  early." 

Next  morning  the  women  painted  their  faces, 
put  on  feathers  and  beads,  danced  behind  the  men, 
sang,  and  said  good  words  to  them  at  parting.  As 


Haka  Kaina  381 


the  men  marched  along  southward,  there  were  so 
many  that  the  dust  which  rose  from  them  went  up 
to  the  sun.  They  went  forward  singing.  Haka 
Kaina  himself  sang  as  he  led  this  great  army.  When 
near  Hwipajusi's  country,  Haka  Kaina  sent  Pokil 
Kama,  Gaman  Atpa,  Pahninopa,  and  Tsanu  Noipa 
to  examine  everything  and  bring  back  news. 

These  four  men  saw  many  villages  belonging  to 
different  people,  and  visited  four  of  them.  They 
went  to  the  villages  of  Pareko,  Chapilkeya,  Chil 
Wareko,  and  Chil  Dayauna.  They  saw  a  great 
many  people  at  these  four  villages ;  each  chief  had 
an  immense  sweat-house,  and  Chil  Dayauna's  peo 
ple  had  elkskin  armor  to  fight  in. 

The  four  men  went  back  about  dusk  and  had  not 
seen  all  that  there  was  to  see.  They  said  to  Haka 
Kaina,  "  We  saw  a  great  many  people ;  you  must 
be  careful ;  our  people  must  fight  well." 

Haka  Kaina's  men  sharpened  their  arrow-points. 

Two  Tsoplaina  boys  went  with  Haka  Kama, 
The  chief  was  very  fond  of  these  boys,  and  they 
liked  him.  They  heard  what  the  four  scouts  had 
said,  and  at  dusk  these  two  boys  went  to  Wipajusi's 
and  saw  the  three  girls  playing  around  the  fire. 

cc  Look,  look  at  the  mouse,"  said  one  of  the  girls. 

"  That  is  a  mouse  coming  after  you,"  said 
Hwipajusi,  laughing. 

"  Where  are  the  two  brothers  ? "  asked  Haka 
Kaina,  when  he  missed  the  Tsoplaina  boys.  No 
one  had  sent  these  young  men  to  Hwipajusi's. 

Now,  the  Tsoplaina  brothers  worked  hard,  worked 
all  nignt.  They  went  through  more  than  half  the 


382      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

houses,  and  destroyed  a  great  many  bow-strings. 
At  daylight  they  went  back  and  told  Haka  Kaina 
what  they  had  done. 

Hwipajusi's  people  saw  Haka  Kaina's  great  army 
coming ;  they  ran  for  their  bows,  but  many  were  de 
stroyed.  Those  who  had  bows  left  fought  well. 
But  Haka  Kaina's  men  had  arms  of  flint  and 
arms  of  all  kinds,  and  they  beat  down  everything 
before  them.  At  midday  Hwipajusi's  people  were 
destroyed  and  he  himself  was  killed. 

Haka  Kaina  took  the  three  girls  and  set  out  for 
Wahkalu  again,  taking  everything  that  HwTipajusi 
and  his  people  had.  Now  there  were  two  brothers, 
Mini  Auna,  who  lived  with  their  sisters  at  Wama- 
rawi,  near  a  trail  which  Haka  Kaina  had  not  used 
before,  but  he  started  home  on  it  this  time. 

When  Haka  Kaina's  forces  came  in  sight  of 
Wamarawi,  the  two  sisters  were  out  husking  acorns. 
They  were  frightened  and  ran  home.  One  of  them 
ran  to  her  brothers  and  cried,  — 

"  Come,  brothers,  hurry  out  and  look.  A  great 
many  people  are  coming.  I  do  not  know  where 
they  come  from  nor  where  they  are  going.  Perhaps 
they  will  kill  us." 

Each  of  Haka  Kaina's  men  had  a  great  pack  on 
his  back  holding  all  that  he  could  carry.  They  were 
taking  home  everything  from  Hwipajusi's  village. 

The  two  Mini  Auna  brothers  ran  quickly  to  their 
sweat-house ;  each  of  them  caught  up  a  great  piece 
of  fire.  The  two  sisters  ran  into  the  sweat-house 
and  hid  there.  The  two  brothers  went  to  the  top 
of  the  sweat-house,  and  when  Haka  Kaina's  great 


Haka  Kaina  383 


army  was  near  enough,  they  hurled  fire  around  it, 
north,  south,  east,  and  west.  All  were  surrounded. 
They  looked  to  every  side,  tried  to  get  out,  but 
there  was  no  escape  anywhere.  The  great  fire  closed 
in  around  them,  and  every  man  perished.  All  were 
burned  to  death.  Hwipajusi's  three  daughters  died 
with  the  others.  As  soon  as  all  were  dead,  the  fire 
went  out  and  disappeared  ;  the  two  brothers  went 
back  into  their  sweat-house. 

When  the  Mini  Aunas  were  going  to  hurl  the 
fire,  Haka  Kaina  sent  two  swift  runners  to  Wahkalu 
to  let  his  women  know  that  all  were  coming  with 
great  plunder,  and  bringing  Hwipajusi's  daughters. 
Sooner  than  these  men  were  out  of  sight  the  fire 
was  around  the  whole  army,  which  perished  before 
the  eyes  of  the  two  swift  runners. 

When  the  swift  runners  reached  Wahkalu,  all  the 
women  were  dancing ;  they  thought  that  their  hus 
bands  were  fighting  yet  against  Hwipajusi.  When 
the  swift  runners  were  coming  near,  the  women 
stopped  dancing,  and  when  both  came  up  and  said 
that  Haka  Kaina  and  his  army  were  dead  at 
Wamarawi,  burned  by  the  Mini  Aunas,  the  women 
raised  a  cry  of  sorrow  such  as  no  one  had  ever 
heard  in  Wahkalu  before.  Soon  some  women 
said,  — 

"  We  must  go  down  to  Wamarawi,  we  must  go  a 
good  many  of  us,  and  beg  the  two  brothers  to  bring 
our  men  to  life  again." 

They  took  beautiful  presents,  shells  and  otter- 
skins,  put  them  on  their  backs,  and  started ;  went 
without  waiting,  travelled  all  night,  travelled  quickly. 


384      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

They  were  at  Wamarawi  next  morning.  They  went 
to  the  two  brothers,  gave  them  presents,  begged 
them  to  bring  their  husbands  to  life  again. 

The  brothers  were  willing  at  last  to  do  this. 

There  was  a  great  spring  near  their  sweat-house, 
a  spring  as  large  as  a  lake  of  good  size,  and  the 
brothers  told  the  women  from  Wahkalu  and  their 
own  two  sisters  to  carry  the  bones  to  that  water. 

The  Wahkalu  women  and  the  two  sisters  took 
baskets,  carried  bones  all  that  day,  and  put  them  in 
the  spring.  At  sunset  the  field  was  clear  and  all 
the  bones  were  in  the  water. 

"  Now,"  said  the  brothers  to  the  women  from 
Wahkalu,  "you  must  camp  far  away  from  the 
spring,  and  not  go  near  it  till  broad  daylight  to 
morrow;  and  our  sisters  you  must  not  rise  up 
to-night  to  go  out  of  the  sweat-house." 

The  two  brothers  closed  the  top  of  the  sweat- 
house  and  did  not  sleep  themselves. 

About  daylight  they  heard  talking  at  the  spring, 
then  more  talking,  and  later  a  great  sound  of  voices. 
At  broad  daylight  all  had  come  out  of  the  spring, 
and  all  the  place  around  was  full  of  people,  crowds 
of  people  everywhere. 

The  two  brothers  looked  from  the  top  of  the 
sweat-house,  saw  all  Haka  Kama's  army  standing 
there  strong  and  well.  Each  man  had  his  pack  with 
its  treasures,  the  plunder  brought  from  Wipajusi's 
village ;  each  had  on  his  war-dress  and  feathers. 
Wipajusi's  three  daughters  were  there,  too,  as  well 
as  ever. 

Haka  Kaina  went  to  the  house  of  the  Mini  Aunas 


Haka  Kaina  385 


and  talked  to  the  brothers.  He  gave  them  otter- 
skins,  beads,  elkskins.  He  was  grateful  and  very 
kind ;  called  them  cousins.  After  that  he  went 
home  with  his  army  and  women.  All  those  left  at 
Wahkalu  came  out  to  meet  the  men,  went  far, 
danced,  danced  because  all  had  come  to  life  again 
and  because  the  three  girls  were  brought  back. 

The  men  put  away  their  bows,  arrows,  and  elk- 
skins  ;  all  washed  the  paint  from  their  faces. 

"  Now  give  us  plenty  to  eat,"  said  Haka  Kaina. 

They  went  into  the  sweat-house ;  all  ate  and 
talked  till  midnight.  At  midnight  each  went  to 
his  own  place  and  rested. 


TITINDI    MAUPA    AND    PAIOWA 


TITINDI    MAUPA   AND    PAIOWA,   THE 
YOUNGEST  DAUGHTER  OF  WAKARA 

PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  creature  or  thing  into  which 
the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Hemauna   Marimi, ;   Hitchinna,  wildcat ;    Lawalila,   chicken 

hawk  ;  Paiowa,  new  moon's  youngest  daughter ;  Titildi  Marimi,  black 
bear  woman ;  Titindi  Maupa,  her  brother ;  Topuna,  mountain  lion ; 
Tuina,  the  sun;  Wakara,  new  moon. 


TITINDI  MAUPA  lived  at  a  place  called 
Kurulsa  Mauna,  where  he  had  two  sisters. 
Three  miles  west  of  that  place  lived  young  Topuna 
with  his  father,  who  had  a  great  sweat-house  at 
Motiri  Mauna. 

Titindi  Maupa  wished  his  elder  sister  to  marry 
Topuna,  his  great  friend,  who  was  a  good  hunter 
and  killed  many  deer.  One  day  Titindi  Maupa 
told  his  two  sisters  to  make  ready  much  food, — 
roots,  acorns,  and  pine  nuts. 

The  women  made  these  things  ready  and  put 
them  into  a  round  basket.  He  put  the  basket  on  his 
back,  took  two  otter-skins  as  presents,  and  went  to 
Motiri  Mauna. 

Old  Topuna  was  sitting  at  home.  His  son  had 
gone  off  before  daylight  to  hunt  deer  in  the  moun 
tains.  Titindi  Maupa  saw  a  great  deal  of  venison 
and  deer  fat  hanging  around  in  all  parts  of  the  sweat- 
house. 


390      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

He  looked  in  from  the  top  of  the  sweat-house,  and 
saw  the  old  man  cutting  meat,  breaking  bones,  and 
taking  marrow  out  of  them.  He  went  in.  Topuna 
stood  up  to  meet  him,  made  a  fire,  cooked  meat,  put 
it  in  a  basket,  and  set  it  down  before  Titindi  Maupa. 
He  gave  him  also  fat  and  dried  venison. 

"  I  have  food  on  the  top  of  the  sweat-house," 
said  Titindi  Maupa.  "  I  left  my  basket  there." 

Topuna  went  and  brought  it,  put  it  down,  then 
ate  of  it  himself.  The  visitor  ate  much,  and  the  two 
sat  long  together  talking  and  eating  ;  sat  till  midday, 
when  young  Topuna  came  home.  He  had  killed 
five  deer  and  was  glad. 

"  You  came  to  see  us,"  said  he,  sitting  down  near 
the  visitor. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Titindi  Maupa,  "  and  you  will 
come  soon,  I  hope,  to  my  house.  You  will  come 
to-night,  perhaps  ?  " 

Topuna  gave  Titindi  Maupa  nice  venison  and 
deer  fat,  —  a  great  deal  of  it.  "  Be  light  and  small 
till  he  takes  you  home,"  said  Topuna  to  the  meat ; 
"  then  be  as  big  as  you  now  are  or  bigger." 

He  gave  the  visitor  a  beautiful  buckskin  dress, 
and  Titindi  Maupa  went  home. 

The  pack  was  light  till  he  set  it  down  at  home. 
Then  it  grew  as  big  as  a  small  house.  His  elder 
sister  would  not  eat  Topuna's  venison ;  she  did 
not  like  her  brother's  friend ;  she  loved  young 
Hitchinna,  and  would  not  look  at  the  other 
man. 

Topuna  put  on  three  pairs  of  moccasins,  three 
pairs  of  thick  buckskin  leggings  trimmed  with 


Titindi  Maupa  and  Paiowa  391 

beads ;  put  on  three  buckskin  blankets,  .and  at  dark 
he  went  out  of  the  door  to  go  to  Kurulsa  Mauna. 

"  My  son/'  said  old  Topuna,  when  his  son  was 
going,  "  you  will  come  back  sorry ;  you  will  be 
angry  in  the  morning ;  I  know  that  woman  well." 

All  were  asleep  at  Titindi  Maupa's  when  Topuna 
came ;  but  Titildi  Marimi  had  wished  the  whole 
house  outside  to  be  covered  with  sharp  rocks  and 
thorny  brush,  for  she  knew  that  Topuna  was  coming. 

When  he  reached  the  place,  he  could  not  go  in ; 
he  could  not  find  the  door,  even ;  everything  was 
hidden  with  sharp  rocks  and  thorns.  He  was  out 
side  all  night,  and  never  stopped  trying  to  find  the 
way  in ;  he  wore  out  his  three  pair  of  moccasins, 
tore  his  three  pair  of  leggings  and  three  blankets ; 
bits  of  them  were  scattered  all  around  the  sweat- 
house.  At  last  he  was  naked  and  nearly  frozen. 

Topuna  went  home  before  daylight,  very  angry. 
Titildi  Marimi  had  heard  him,  but  said  not  a  word. 
He  lay  down  in  his  father's  sweat-house  and  stayed 
there  all  day. 

When  daylight  came,  Titildi  Marimi  rose  up  and 
went  out  of  the  sweat-house ;  the  rocks  and  brush 
were  all  gone  at  her  wish ;  nothing  there  now  but 
the  nice  beads  that  had  fallen  from  Topuna.  She 
went  to  the  spring ;  washed  there,  combed  and 
dressed  her  hair,  painted  her  face  red,  put  on  a  nice 
woven  cap,  took  a  little  basket  with  a  sharp  stick, 
and  went  out  on  the  mountain ;  went  far ;  dug 
sweet  roots  by  the  creeks  on  the  mountain  flats. 

Titindi  Maupa  was  angry  at  his  sister  all  day ;  he 
stayed  in  bed  until  evening.  Titildi  Marimi  dug 


392      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

roots,  dug  a  great  many,  singing  all  the  time  while 
she  worked.  Hitchinna  heard  the  singing  from  his 
place  and  came  to  her.  She  liked  him.  She  went 
to  meet  him  ;  was  pleased  to  see  him  ;  they  sat 
down  together,  talked,  and  were  glad.  They  parted 
for  that  day;  he  hunted  deer,  she  filled  her  basket 
with  roots  and  went  home  about  sundown. 

Titindi  Maupa  was  in  bed  yet.  He  did  not  raise 
his  eyes  when  she  came ;  did  not  look  at  his  sister. 

Next  morning  she  rose  early ;  rose  at  daylight. 
She  had  promised  Hitchinna  to  meet  him  a  second 
time.  She  washed,  combed  her  hair,  painted  her 
face,  took  a  basket  with  a  root  stick,  and  started. 

She  had  not  gone  far  when  her  brother  sprang 
up,  hurried  to  the  river,  swam  in  it ;  went  back  to 
the  sweat-house,  striking  his  hair  as  he  went  with  a 
stick  to  make  it  dry  quickly.  Then  he  ate,  and 
said  to  his  younger  sister, — 

"  I  am  going  away ;  I  must  leave  you ;  you  will 
cry,  I  think,  because  I  am  going." 

He  put  on  rich  clothes,  then  tied  a  string  of  nice 
beads  to  a  staff,  and  fastened  the  staff  in  one  corner 
of  the  house  corners. 

"  If  I  die/'  said  he,  « those  beads  will  fall  to  the 
ground  ;  do  not  touch  them  while  they  are  hanging, 
and  say  to  our  sister  not  to  touch  them.  When 
she  comes,  do  not  say  that  I  have  gone  ;  if  she 
knows  herself,  you  must  not  show  her  the  way  that 
I  have  taken." 

Then  he  turned  to  each  thing  in  the  house  and 
said,  "  You,  my  poking-stick,  must  not  tell  my 
sister  how  I  have  gone,  nor  you,  my  baskets,  nor 


Titindi  Maupa  and  Paiowa  393 

you,  my  fire,  nor  you,  my  basket  of  water,  nor  my 
roots  ;  not  one  of  you  must  tell  her/'  And  he  told 
everything  except  the  acorn  flour;  he  forgot  to  tell 
the  acorn  flour. 

"  Now  I  go,"  said  he ;  and  pushing  up  the  central 
post  of  the  house,  he  went  in  to  the  ground,  and  the 
post  settled  back  after  him.  He  went  under  ground 
until  he  reached  a  spring  of  water.  From  the  spring 
he  turned  back  and  went  west,  then  back ;  went 
north,  then  back ;  went  south,  then  back  to  the 
spring.  Next  he  went  in  circles  around  his  house 
to  mislead  his  sister,  so  that  she  might  not  track 
him.  At  last  he  went  west  two  or  three  miles ; 
then  he  rose  to  the  top  of  the  ground,  and  went  off 
on  a  trail. 

When  she  went  to  the  mountain  flat  on  the 
second  morning,  Titildi  Marimi  stood  a  while  think 
ing.  She  knew  that  her  brother  was  out  of  bed, 
that  he  was  very  angry.  "  My  brother  will  go  away 
to-day,"  thought  she.  "  I  must  be  home  again 
soon." 

She  threw  down  her  stick  and  basket  quickly 
and  hurried  home.  She  saw  that  her  brother  was 
not  in  the  house,  that  her  sister  was  crying. 

"  Where  is  my  brother,"  asked  she ;  "  tell  me, 
my  sister." 

The  sister  would  not  speak,  gave  no  answer ; 
held  down  her  head  and  cried  bitterly. 

"  Tell  me  quickly.  The  sun  is  high.  If  I  can 
not  come  up  with  him,  he  will  die ;  if  I  do  not  find 
him,  his  enemies  will  kill  him."  The  sister  did  not 
answer. 


394      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  Tell  me,  you  rock,  which  way  my  brother  went ; 
tell  me  quickly.  Tell  me,  you  poking-stick ;  tell 
me,  baskets/'  Nothing  gave  answer.  "  Post,  tell 
me,  tell  quickly ;  it  is  too  late  almost,  he  will  escape 
me."  She  asked  everything  and  got  no  answer,  till 
at  last  she  said,  "  Acorn  flour,  will  you  tell  me  ?  " 

"  Your  brother  is  gone,"  said  the  acorn  flour. 
"He  is  angry  because  you  injured  Topuna,  his 
friend ;  he  is  very  angry,  and  does  not  wish  you  to 
follow  him." 

"  Which  way  did  he  go  ?  " 

"  Under  the  post." 

"  That  is  well." 

She  was  glad  then.  She  made  ready  quickly  j 
put  on  nice,  new  things,  took  her  best  bow  and  a 
big  otter-skin  quiver  filled  with  arrows,  put  on  leg 
gings  like  a  man. 

"  My  sister,  be  well,  take  good  care  of  yourself," 
said  she.  "  I  don't  want  my  brother  to  die.  He 
thinks  that  the  journey  is  pleasant,  that  the  journey 
is  easy.  I  will  go,  too ;  I  will  help  him." 

She  pushed  up  the  post  and  followed  her  brother ; 
went  to  the  spring,  came  back,  followed  him  every 
where  ;  came  out  at  last  on  the  trail  and  tracked  him, 
followed  him,  toiled  along  over  Backbone  Moun 
tain.  She  followed  hard  and  fast,  gained  on  him, 
kept  gaining  ;  still  she  was  afraid  that  she  could  not 
come  up  with  her  brother.  She  turned  then  to 
Sun  and  called  out, — 

"  O  Sun,  I  wish  you  to  be  slow.  Go  very  slowly 
to-day,  O  Sun.  Let  the  day  be  long.  Give  me 
time  to  come  up  with  my  brother." 


Titindi  Maupa  and  Paiowa  395 

The  Sun  went  more  slowly,  gave  her  time,  and 
she  hurried  on. 

Titindi  Maupa  all  this  while  was  hurrying,  going 
on  quickly  ;  and  he  sang  as  he  went.  His  song  was 
of  Paiowa,  Wakara's  youngest  daughter,  a  maiden 
far  off  in  the  west. 

Wakara  had  a  great  many  daughters.  All  the 
stars  in  the  sky  were  his  children,  and  all  his  daugh 
ters  were  married  but  this  one,  the  youngest,  the 
one  whom  Titindi  Maupa  was  going  to  marry  if  her 
father  would  give  her. 

He  went  along  the  Daha,  went  as  the  stream 
flows,  swam  across  and  sat  down  to  smoke.  When 
he  had  emptied  his  pipe,  he  went  up  on  the  moun 
tain  ridge  west  of  the  river,  reached  the  top,  and 
walked  some  distance  down  on  the  western  slope, 
sat  again  and  smoked  a  second  time.  Now  Titildi 
Marimi,  his  sister,  had  crossed  the  river  and  was 
following.  She  came  to  where  her  brother  had  sat 
to  smoke  the  first  time. 

"  I  will  come  up  with  you  soon,'*  said  she.  "  You 
cannot  go  from  me  now ;  "  and  she  followed  on,  fol 
lowed  quickly. 

The  brother,  when  he  smoked  the  second  time, 
sat  at  a  little  spring  on  the  western  slope  of  the 
mountain  ridge  ;  the  sister  reached  the  ridge  from  the 
top  ;  she  saw  her  brother  a  little  below  her.  He 
heard  some  one  behind,  looked  up,  and  saw  Titildi 
Marimi.  He  held  his  head  down,  he  said  nothing. 

"  I  shall  be  with  you  soon,"  cried  the  sister. 
"  We  can  go  on  together.  You  have  come  a  long 
way  to  find  a  good  smoking-place." 


396      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

He  said  nothing,  looked  at  the  ground,  waited 
for  his  sister.  Soon  she  was  there  with  him. 

"  My  brother,  I  am  tired,"  said  she,  "  give  me 
tobacco  ;  I  wish  to  smoke." 

He  gave  her  tobacco  ;  she  smoked. 

"  My  brother,"  said  Titildi  Marimi,  "  I  want 
you  to  shoot  at  that  quartz  rock  over  there  on  the 
mountain  side." 

He  raised  his  bow  with  an  arrow  and  took  good 
aim. 

"  Now  hit  that  rock,"  said  she. 

He  sent  one  arrow,  after  it  a  second,  and  then 
a  third.  They  hit  the  rock,  but  bounded  back 
from  it. 

"  You  might  go  a  long  way  to  hurt  an  enemy 
with  arrows  of  that  sort !  "  laughed  the  sister.  "  Do 
you  think  those  good  arrows,  my  brother  ?  You  will 
see  enemies  enough  in  two  days  ;  you  will  see  ene 
mies  in  the  house  of  Wakara." 

She  drew  out  her  own  bow  then,  took  an  arrow 
from  her  otter-skin  quiver,  and  said,  "  Look  now  at 
me,  my  brother  !  " 

She  shot  at  the  rock  ;  hit  it.  Her  arrow  shivered 
the  rock  to  pieces. 

"  This  is  what  my  arrows  do ! "  said  Titildi 
Marimi. 

Titindi  Maupa  hung  his  head ;  said  not  a  word, 
but  rose  and  went  down  the  mountain  side  till  he 
came  to  a  creek ;  then  he  crossed  another  mountain, 
going  westward  all  the  time  till  he  was  in  sight  of 
Wakaruwa,  the  place  to  which  he  was  going ;  then 
he  sat  down  a  third  time  and  smoked. 


Titindi  Maupa  and  Paiowa  397 

"  O  smoke,"  said  he, cc  I  wish  you  to  make  friends 
to-night  and  to-morrow  for  me." 

He  looked  down  into  the  valley,  where  he  heard 
much  noise ;  he  saw  many  people  playing  games  and 
shooting. 

Just  before  this  Wakara  had  called  his  youngest 
daughter,  Paiowa,  and  said,  "  I  want  you  to  gather 
oak  leaves  for  the  acorn  bread,  and  red  earth  to  mix 
in  it." 

She  went  with  a  basket  on  her  back,  went  up  to 
the  mountain  side,  gathered  red  earth  to  mix  with 
the  acorn  flour  and  make  the  bread  light.  The 
leaves  were  to  be  put  on  the  top  of  the  dough  and 
cover  the  bread  while  baking.  Titindi  Maupa  put 
his  sister  with  her  quiver  in  an  otter-skin  and  carried 
her.  She  had  made  herself  small,  and  seemed  just 
like  an  otter;  he  hid  her  on  his  shoulder  in  this  form. 

Paiowa,  Wakara's  youngest  daughter,  had  put  red 
earth  in  her  basket  and  filled  it  with  leaves.  She 
turned  around  now  to  stoop  and  raise  it,  but  could 
not,  it  was  too  heavy. 

Titindi  Maupa  had  slipped  up  and  was  holding 
the  basket.  She  turned  to  see  what  the  trouble  was, 
and  saw  him  right  there  almost  touching  her. 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  she,  frightened  and  dropping  her 
head ;  she  was  shamefaced  before  the  stranger. 

"  Why  are  you  afraid  ?  "  asked  Titindi  Maupa. 
"  Is  it  because  I  am  ugly  ? 

She  raised  the  basket  to  her  back,  and  rushed 
away.  When  she  reached  Wakaruwa,  she  threw 
down  the  basket  outside,  and  ran  into  the  house 
past  her  mother. 


398      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  Why  are  you  so  frightened  ?  What  is  the  mat 
ter?"  asked  her  mother. 

Not  a  word  did  she  answer. 

Old  Wakara  was  sitting  inside.  "  Why  are  you 
frightened,  my  daughter  ? "  asked  he.  "  Has  any 
thing  happened,  has  any  one  hurt  you?  " 

"  I  saw  a  man  over  there  on  the  mountain." 

"  What  kind  of  man  was  he  ?  "  asked  Wakara. 

"He  has  an  otter  on  his  back  and  wears  buck 
skin  ;  his  hands  are  both  red  with  deer  blood." 

Titindi  Maupa  had  a  large  piece  of  fat  venison  in 
his  otter-skin  quiver. 

"  He  is  a  good  hunter,  I  think,"  said  Wakara  ; 
and  he  took  down  an  otter-skin,  put  it  on  the  north 
side  of  the  house,  and  said  to  his  daughter,  "  Sit 
there  and  let  this  man  come  to  you." 

It  was  night  soon.  All  the  people  came  into  the 
house,  sat  down,  and  ate  supper.  Titindi  Maupa 
stopped  outside  for  a  while,  and  found  a  place  where 
Wakara  stored  acorns.  "  I  will  leave  you  here  for 
this  night,"  said  he  to  his  sister.  "  To-morrow  I 
will  come  to  get  you." 

Titindi  Maupa  left  his  sister  in  the  acorn  crib, 
sank  in  the  ground  then,  and  came  up  inside 
the  sweat-house  right  at  the  side  of  Paiowa.  Old 
Wakara  laughed  when  he  saw  him  sitting  near  his 
daughter.  He  was  glad. 

"  Give  the  stranger  food,"  said  he. 

Paiowa  brought  food  and  gave  it  to  the  stranger. 

Titindi  Maupa  ate  some  and  said,  "  Look  in  my 
otter-skin,  I  have  some  venison." 

She  put  her  hand  in,  found  a  good  piece,  a  nice 


Titindi  Maupa  and  Paiowa  399 

saddle  of  venison.  She  could  not  draw  the  piece 
out,  it  was  so  heavy.  She  went  then  to  her  father 
and  said,  "  I  must  have  a  big  basket." 

She  took  a  large  tray  basket  over  to  her  place. 
Titindi  Maupa  drew  out  the  venison  and  put  it  on 
the  tray,  saying,  — 

"  Now,  be  no  smaller,  my  venison,  stay  as  you 
are,  no  matter  how  much  they  take  from  you." 

Two  girls  carried  the  basket  and  put  it  down  before 
Wakara  and  Hemauna  Marimi,  his  wife.  The  two 
old  people  ate.  After  them  all  in  the  house  ate, 
and  the  saddle  of  venison  was  as  large  as  at  first. 
When  all  in  the  house  had  eaten,  old  Wakara  went 
out  on  the  housetop  and  shouted,  — 

"  My  sons,  I  call  you  all  to  come  in  for  a  short 
while." 

Now,  all  the  stars  in  the  sky  were  Wakara's 
children  ;  they  were  his  sons  and  daughters.  The 
greatest,  a  son,  came  in  first.  When  near  the  house, 
he  had  caught  the  odor  of  venison.  Behind  him 
came  a  great  many  people.  All  the  stars  were  in 
Wakara's  sweat-house  ;  the  whole  place  was  filled 
with  them.  When  they  looked  and  saw  Titindi 
Maupa  sitting  with  their  sister,  they  laughed.  They 
were  glad.  Some  sat  down  ;  others  cut  off  the  veni 
son  and  roasted  it.  All  ate  what  they  wanted. 

Now,  old  Wakara  himself  cut  off  venison,  and 
gave  a  large  share  to  each  son  to  carry  home  for  his 
wife  and  children.  All  went  away  laughing. 

Titindi  Maupa  rose  before  dawn  the  next  morn 
ing,  took  a  deer  head,  and  went  hunting  to  a  moun 
tain.  He  put  on  the  head.  Deer  came  and  stood 


400      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

before  him,  ten,  then  ten  more,  and  soon  there  were 
a  hundred.  He  killed  the  hundred  deer.  Taking 
the  smallest,  he  opened  it,  made  the  others  very 
little,  and  put  them  into  the  small  one,  which  he 
carried  in  one  hand. 

All  were  sleeping  in  the  sweat-house  when  Titindi 
Maupa  came.  He  threw  down  the  small  deer,  and 
the  ninety-nine  others  were  as  big  as  at  first ;  they 
burst  out  of  the  small  one,  made  a  great  noise,  and 
filled  all  the  space  before  the  sweat-house.  Wakara's 
wife  had  got  up  to  make  acorn  bread.  She  tried  to  go 
out,  but  could  not,  there  were  so  many  deer  lying 
around  everywhere.  She  hurried  back  and  called 
her  husband. 

"  There  is  something  outside,"  said  she  ;  "  I  do 
not  know  what  it  is.  Get  up  and  look,  get  up 
quickly  !  " 

Wakara  went  out  and  saw  piles  of  deer ;  he  ran 
back,  took  his  knife  and  sharpened  it.  Then  going 
to  the  top  of  the  house,  he  called  to  the  whole  village, 
"  Come  here  ;  come,  all  of  you  !  " 

All  the  people  of  the  village  came  soon,  and 
there  were  so  many  that  the  venison  was  dressed 
quickly.  They  cooked  and  ate  in  company.  Others 
came  from  beyond  the  river  south  of  them,  and  ate 
all  the  venison  they  wanted.  Many  sat  down  under 
oak-trees  and  gambled ;  some  shot  arrows  at  marks, 
an<J  others  raced. 

All  day  they  amused  themselves ;  all  day  they 
feasted,  and  went  home  at  sunset  very  glad  and 
praising  Titindi  Maupa. 

West  of  Wakaruwa,  was  a  large  village  and  many 


Titindi  Maupa  and  Paiowa  401 

people,  all  Wakara's  sons-in-law,  all  married  to  his 
daughters;  and  the  chief  was  Lawalila. 

"  I  wonder  what  my  father-in-law  is  doing,"  said 
each  of  these  people  ;  "  he  has  very  loud  talk  in  his 
sweat-house.  There  has  never  been  such  talk  there 
before." 

Lawalila  called  his  two  sons  and  said :  cc  Go  and 
see  what  your  grandfather  is  doing.  Your  youngest 
aunt  has  a  husband ;  perhaps  that  is  why  there  is 
such  loud  talk  at  the  sweat-house." 

The  two  boys  stole  up  to  the  house  carefully,  and 
peeped  into  it.  The  younger  saw  Paiowa,  his  aunt, 
in  one  corner,  and  Titindi  Maupa  sitting  near  her. 
Wakara  saw  the  boy  peeping  in,  and  hurled  a  stick 
at  him.  The  two  boys  ran  home. 

"  My  aunt  has  a  husband,"  said  the  younger  boy, 

"  She  has  not,"  said  the  elder. 

"I  saw  him,"  said  the  younger. 

"  You  did  not,"  said  the  elder. 

Lawalila  stopped  the  boys  ;  he  was  satisfied.  He 
went  out,  and  calling  to  all  said, cc  Paiowa,  the  young 
est  daughter  of  Wakara,  is  married  !  " 

All  were  very  angry  now,  all  were  enraged,  for 
there  were  many  in  that  village  who  wanted  Paiowa. 

Next  morning  Lawalila  roused  the  village  early, 
and  said  :  "  I  want  you,  my  people,  to  play  to-day. 
You  must  play  your  best ;  you  must  beat  Titindi 
Maupa,  Wakara's  new  son-in-law." 

After  they  had  eaten  he  called  all  his  people 
together  and  said,  "  We  will  go  over  to  my  father- 
in-law's,  to  Wakara's,  and  shoot  at  a  mark  there 

with  arrows." 

26 


402      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

They  went  to  Wakara's  and  asked :  "  Where  is 
Titindi  Maupa  ?  We  wish  to  try  him  ;  we  want  to 
shoot  arrows  at  a  mark  against  him." 

Titindi  Maupa  came  out  and  shot.  He  won  the 
first  shot,  the  second ;  he  won  all  the  time,  won 
everything  that  Lawalila' s  people  wagered. 

Just  at  noon  Lawalila  lost  his  temper,  got  angry, 
sprang  up,  tried  to  seize  and  take  back  all  the  things 
that  his  people  had  lost.  Titindi  Maupa  would  not 
let  him  do  that ;  he  stood  in  his  way,  would  not  let 
him  take  anything. 

Lawalila  struck  Wakara's  new  son-in-law.  Titindi 
Maupa  threw  down  his  opponent.  Lawalila  jumped 
up,  ran  toward  his  people,  drew  his  bow,  and  tried 
to  send  an  arrow  through  Titindi  Maupa.  A  great 
fight  now  followed. 

Wakara's  sons  came  and  took  Titindi  Maupa's 
part.  Lawalila's  people  hurried  to  his  side.  Titindi 
Maupa's  young  wife  ran  out  to  help  her  brothers 
and  her  husband. 

They  fought  very  hard  on  both  sides.  In  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  all  were  killed  on  La 
walila's  side  except  himself.  New  forces  came  to 
Lawalila.  Titindi  Maupa  was  so  tired  that  he 
could  not  stand.  At  this  moment  his  sister  came. 
She  picked  up  Titindi  Maupa,  put  him  on  her 
back,  and  gave  him  her  bow  and  arrows.  He  shot 
from  her  shoulder,  and  used  her  strong  arrows. 
Every  man  that  they  touched  fell  that  moment. 
Every  one  from  the  west  was  killed,  Lawalila  with 
the  others. 

Titindi   Maupa   rested,  and  went  to   the  sweat- 


Titindi  Maupa  and  Paiowa  403 

house.  His  sister  went  with  him.  The  dead  of 
both  sides  lay  all  night  where  they  fell. 

Before  daybreak  Titindi  Maupa  rose,  took  his  fire- 
drill,  went  out,  and  turning  the  faces  of  all  his  broth 
ers-in-law  to  the  earth,  struck  them  with  the  fire-drill. 
All  came  to  life  and  went  back  to  Wakaruwa. 

Lawalila's  people  lay  on  the  field  all  night,  the 
next  day,  and  the  night  following.  Titindi  Maupa 
did  not  like  to  see  all  those  dead  people  lying  there ; 
so  he  went  before  daybreak  of  the  second  day  and 
struck  each  with  his  fire-drill.  All  came  to  life, 
rose  up,  were  glad,  and  went  home.  Next  morning 
they  came  to  Wakaruwa,  and  had  games  again,  with 
good  feasting  and  pleasure.  They  did  not  get 
angry  a  second  time. 

Titindi  Maupa  brought  in  deer  every  morning. 
His  brothers-in-law  came  and  ate  with  him  ;  they 
were  friendly  and  happy.  Titindi  Maupa  stayed 
twenty  days  at  Wakaruwa.  He  killed  deer  for  all 
of  them.  On  the  twenty-first  morning  Wakara  said 
to  his  daughter,  — 

cc  I  think  your  husband  would  like  to  go  home 
now." 

Next  morning  Titindi  Maupa  set  out  for  home 
with  his  wife  and  sister ;  they  went  in  one  day  to 
Kurulsa  Mauna. 

Three  nights  later  Topuna  came  to  visit  them ; 
he  came  again  to  see  Titildi  Marimi.  She  let  him 
come  now.  She  was  afraid  that  her  brother  might 
leave  her  a  second  time. 

So  at  last  Topuna  got  the  wife  he  wanted,  and 
they  all  lived  together  at  Kurulsa  Mauna. 


THE   TWO    SISTERS,    HAKA    LASI 
AND    TSORE   JOWA 


THE   TWO    SISTERS,   HAKA   LASI    AND 
TSORE   JOWA 

PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  creature  or  thing  into  which 
the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Chuhna,  spider;  Haka  hasi,  loon;  Hitchinna,  wildcat;  Jamuka, 
acorn  worm;  Juka,  silkworm;  Metsi,  coyote;  Tsanunewa,  fisher  (a 
bird) ;  Tsore  Jowa,  eagle. 


AT  some  distance  east  of  Jigul  matu  lived  old 
Juka.  He  had  a  great  many  sons  and  two 
daughters  —  a  big  house  full  of  children. 

Juka's  two  daughters  were  Tsore  Jowa,  the  elder, 
and  Haka  Lasi,  the  younger.  After  a  time  Haka 
Lasi  fell  in  love  with  her  brother  Hitchinna.  One 
day  she  fell  asleep  and  dreamed  that  he  had  married 
her. 

Metsi  lived,  too,  in  Juka's  house.  He  was  no 
relative  ;  he  just  lived  as  a  guest  there. 

One  day  all  the  men  were  out  hunting.  It  was 
then  that  Haka  Lasi  saw  Hitchinna  in  a  dream. 
She  began  to  sing  about  him,  and  she  sang  :  "  I 
dream  of  Hitchinna ;  I  dream  that  he  is  my  hus 
band.  I  dream  of  Hitchinna  ;  I  dream  that  he  is 
my  husband/' 

All  the  men  came  back  from  the  hunt  at  night. 
At  daylight  next  morning  they  went  to  swim,  and 
Tsore  Jowa  made  ready  food  for  them.  Haka  Lasi 


408     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

took  a  very  nice  staff  in  her  hand,  and  went  on  top 
of  the  sweat-house.     She  looked  in  and  sang,  — 

"  Where  is  my  husband  ?  Send  him  up  here  to 
me.  I  will  take  him  away.  We  must  go  on  a 
journey.  Where  is  my  husband  ?  Send  him  up 
here  to  me." 

All  knew  that  she  had  no  husband. 

"  You  have  no  husband,"  said  they. 

Hitchina  was  lying  in  one  corner  wrapped  up  in 
the  skin  of  a  wildcat. 

"  You  have  no  husband  in  this  house  ;  all  here 
are  your  brothers,"  said  Juka. 

"  I  have  a  husband,  and  I  want  him  to  come  here 
to  me,"  answered  Haka  Lasi. 

"  Well,"  said  the  eldest  son,  "  I  will  go  up  to  her. 
Let  us  hear  what  she  will  say."  He  went  up. 

"  You  are  not  my  husband,"  said  Haka  Lasi. 
"  Do  not  come  near  me." 

She  drove  that  one  down,  and  called  again : 
"  Where  is  my  husband  ?  Send  him  up  to  me." 

"  Go  you,"  said  Juka  to  the  second  son. 

"  I  don't  want  you,"  said  Haka  Lasi  to  the 
second  son. 

She  refused  one  after  another,  and  drove  them 
away  until  none  was  left  but  Hitchinna.  Juka  went 
then  to  Hitchinna  and  said,  — 

"  My  son,  get  up  and  go  to  her ;  it  looks  as 
though  you  were  the  one  she  wants." 

"  He  is  the  one,"  said  Haka  Lasi ;  "  he  is  my 
husband.  I  want  him  to  go  away  with  me." 

Hitchinna  said  not  a  word,  but  rose,  washed, 
dressed  himself  nicely,  and  went  to  the  woman. 


Haka  Lasi  and  Tsore  Jowa  409 

"  The  sun  is  high  now,"  said  Haka  Lasi ;  cc  we 
must  go  quickly." 

She  was  glad  when  taking  away  the  one  she 
wanted.  They  travelled  along,  and  she  sang  of 
Hitchinna  as  they  travelled,  sang  of  him  all  the 
time.  They  went  a  long  distance,  and  at  night  she 
fixed  a  bed  and  they  lay  down  on  it. 

Young  Hitchinna  could  not  sleep,  he  was  fright 
ened.  When  Haka  Lasi  was  asleep,  he  rose  very 
quickly,  took  a  piece  of  soft  rotten  wood,  put  it 
on  her  arm  where  she  had  held  his  head,  covered  it, 
and  then  ran  away  quickly,  hurried  back  toward 
Juka's  sweat-house  with  all  his  might.  About  day 
light  he  was  at  the  sweat-house. 

Now  Chuhna,  Juka's  sister,  lived  with  him.  She 
was  the  greatest  person  in  the  world  to  spin  threads 
and  twist  ropes.  She  had  a  willow  basket  as  big  as 
a  house,  and  a  rope  which  reached  up  to  the  sky 
and  was  fastened  there. 

"  My  nephew,"  said  she  to  Hitchinna,  "I  will 
save  you  and  save  all  from  your  terrible  sister.  She 
will  be  here  very  soon  ;  she  may  come  any  moment. 
She  will  kill  all  in  this  house ;  she  will  kill  every 
one  if  she  finds  us  here.  Let  all  go  into  my  basket. 
I  will  take  you  up  to  the  sky.  She  cannot  find  us 
there  ;  she  cannot  follow  us  to  that  place." 

"  I  will  lie  lowest,"  said  Metsi.  "  I  am  a  good 
man,  I  will  go  in  first,  I  will  go  in  before  others ; 
I  will  be  at  the  bottom  of  the  basket." 

Metsi  went  in  first ;  every  one  in  the  sweat-house 
followed  him.  Then  Chuhna  ran  up,  rose  on  her 
rope,  and  pulled  the  basket  after  her. 


4 1  o      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

The  sweat-house  was  empty ;  no  one  stayed  be 
hind.  Chuhna  kept  rising  and  rising,  going  higher 
and  higher. 

When  Haka  Lasi  woke  up  and  saw  that  she  had 
a  block  of  rotten  wood  on  her  arm  instead  of 
Hitchinna,  she  said, — 

"  You  won't  get  away  from  me,  I  will  catch  you 
wherever  you  are." 

She  rushed  back  to  the  sweat-house.  It  was 
empty ;  no  one  there.  She  ran  around  in  every 
direction  looking  for  tracks,  to  find  which  way  they 
had  gone.  She  found  nothing  on  the  ground  ;  then 
she  looked  into  the  sky,  and  far  up,  very  high,  close 
to  the  sun,  she  saw  the  basket  rising,  going  up 
steadily. 

Haka  Lasi  was  raging;  she  was  so  awfully 
angry  that  she  set  fire  to  the  house.  It  burned 
quickly,  was  soon  a  heap  of  coals. 

The  basket  was  almost  at  the  sky  when  Metsi  said 
to  himself,  "  I  wonder  how  far  up  we  are  ;  I  want 
to  see."  And  he  made  a  little  hole  in  the  bottom 
of  the  basket  to  peep  through  and  look  down. 

That  instant  the  basket  burst  open ;  all  came 
out,  poured  down,  a  great  stream  of  people,  and 
all  fell  straight  into  the  fire  of  the  sweat-house. 

Now,  Tsore  Jowa  was  outside  on  top  of  the 
basket.  She  caught  at  the  sun,  held  to  it,  and 
saved  herself. 

Hitchinna  went  down  with  the  rest,  fell  into  the 
burning  coals,  and  was  burned  like  his  brothers. 

Haka  Lasi  was  glad  that  they  had  not  escaped 
her ;  she  took  a  stick,  fixed  a  net  on  it,  and  watched. 


Haka  Lasi  and  Tsore  Jowa  41 1 

All  were  in  the  fire  now  and  were  burning.  After 
a  while  one  body  burst,  and  the  heart  flew  out  of  it. 
Haka  Lasi  caught  this  heart  in  her  net.  Soon  a 
second  and  a  third  body  burst,  and  two  more  hearts 
flew  out.  She  caught  those  as  well  as  the  first  one. 
She  caught  all  the  hearts  except  two,  —  Juka's  own 
heart  and  his  eldest  son's  heart. 

Juka's  heart  flew  high,  went  away  far  in  the  sky, 
and  came  down  on  the  island  of  a  river  near  Kla- 
math  Lake.  It  turned  into  Juka  himself  there. 
He  sank  in  the  ground  to  his  chin ;  only  his  head 
was  sticking  out. 

The  heart  of  the  eldest  son  flew  off  to  the  foot 
of  Wahkalu  and  turned  to  be  himself  again.  He 
fell  so  deep  into  the  earth  that  only  his  face  was 
sticking  out  on  the  surface. 

Now  Haka  Lasi  put  all  the  hearts  which  she  had 
caught  on  a  string,  hung  them  around  her  neck, 
and  went  to  a  lake  east  of  Jigulmatu.  She  wanted 
to  live  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  but  could  not  find 
a  place  deep  enough.  So  she  went  northwest  of 
Klamath  Lake  to  Crater  Lake,  where  she  could  live 
in  deep  water. 

Two  Tsanunewa  brothers  lived  near  the  lake 
with  their  old  grandmother.  One  morning  early 
these  brothers  were  out  catching  ducks,  and  just  at 
daybreak  they  heard  some  one  call. 

"  Who  is  that  ?"  asked  the  elder  brother. 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  the  younger. 

Soon  they  saw  Haka  Lasi  spring  up  on  the  water 
and  call.  She  had  a  large  string  of  hearts  around 
her  neck.  Then  she  sank  again  in  the  water. 


4 1 2      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Again  she  came  up  at  some  distance  and  called  a 
second  time. 

Now  Tsore  Jowa  came  down  from  the  sun  and 
went  to  the  old  sweat-house,  where  she  found  noth 
ing  but  a  heap  of  bones  and  ashes.  Putting  pitch 
on  her  head  and  on  her  arms,  and  strips  of  deer 
skin  around  her  neck  with  pitch  on  them,  she  cried 
and  went  around  mourning.  After  a  time  she  began 
to  look  for  her  sister.  She  went  everywhere  ;  went 
to  Klamath  Lake. 

For  some  time  the  two  Tsanunewa  brothers  had 
heard  a  voice  singing,  - 

"Li-wa-eh,  li-wa-ha, 
Li-wa-eh,  li-wa-ha." 

This  was  old  Juka.  He  was  lying  in  the  ground 
where  he  had  fallen,  and  was  crying. 

Tsore  Jowa  searched,  inquired,  asked  every  one 
about  Haka  Lasi,  and  told  what  she  had  done, — 
that  she  had  killed  her  own  brothers  and  father. 

Tsore  Jowa  came  at  last  to  the  house  of  the  two 
Tsanunewa  brothers  one  day  about  sunset,  and 
spoke  to  their  grandmother.  "  My  sister,  Haka 
Lasi,  has  killed  all  my  brothers  and  my  father," 
said  she;  and  she  told  the  whole  story. 

The  old  woman  cried  when  she  heard  what  Tsore 
Jowa  told  her.  The  two  brothers  were  away  hunt 
ing;  they  came  home  about  dark  with  a  large  string 
of  ducks.  "  This  woman,"  said  the  grandmother, 
"is  looking  for  her  sister,  who  has  killed  all  her 
people." 

The  two  brothers  cried  when  the  story  was  told 
to  them.  When  they  had  finished  crying,  they 


Haka  Lasi  and  Tsore  Jowa  413 

said  to  the  old  woman,  "  Cook  ducks  and  let  this 
woman  have  plenty  to  eat." 

When  all  had  eaten,  the  two  brothers  said  to 
Tsore  Jowa :  "  Tell  us  what  kind  of  a  person  your 
sister  is.  Which  way  did  she  go  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  which  way  she  went,"  said  Tsore 
Jowa. 

"  Three  days  ago,"  said  the  elder  brother,  cc  just 
as  daylight  was  coming,  we  saw  a  woman  jump  up 
in  the  lake  where  we  were  fishing.  She  seemed  to 
have  large  beads  around  her  neck.  That  woman 
may  be  your  sister." 

"  Catch  that  woman  for  me.  I  will  give  you 
otter-skins  and  beads.  I  will  give  bearskins.  If 
you  wish,  I  will  stay  with  you  here,  if  you  catch 
her." 

"We  want  no  beads  nor  otter-skins  nor  bear 
skins,"  said  the  brothers. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  We  want  red  deer-bones  and  green  deer-bones ; 
small,  sharp  ones  to  stab  fish  with." 

"kYou  shall  have  all  you  want  of  both  kinds," 
said  Tsore  Jowa. 

Next  morning  she  set  out  with  a  sack,  went  away 
to  high  mountains,  gathered  deer-bones,  red  and 
green  leg-bones,  and  put  them  in  her  sack.  At 
sunset  she  went  back  to  the  house,  with  the  sack 
full. 

The  two  brothers  were  glad,  now.  The  elder 
took  red,  and  the  younger  green  bones.  (The  fat 
on  the  leg-bones  of  deer  turns  some  red  and  others 
green.) 


4 1 4      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  You  must  catch  her  bad  sister  for  Tsore  Jowa," 
said  the  old  woman  to  her  grandsons. 

All  that  night  the  brothers  sat  sharpening  the 
bones  and  then  fastening  them  to  the  spear-shafts. 
They  did  not  stop  for  a  moment.  "  Let  us  go 
now;  it  is  near  daylight,"  said  the  elder  brother. 

They  started.  When  they  reached  the  lake,  they 
went  out  on  the  water.  Every  morning  at  day 
break  Haka  Lasi  sprang  up  to  the  surface  and 
called  from  the  lake.  The  elder  brother  took  a 
stem  of  tule  grass,  opened  it,  placed  it  on  the  water, 
made  himself  small,  and  sat  down  in  the  middle  of 
it.  The  younger  brother  fixed  himself  in  another 
stem  of  tule  in  the  same  way.  The  two  tule  stems 
floated  away  on  the  water,  till  they  came  near  the 
place  where  the  brothers  had  seen  Haka  Lasi  spring 
up  the  first  time. 

"  Let  me  shoot  before  you,'*  said  the  elder 
brother. 

"  Oh,  you  cannot  shoot ;  you  will  miss  her,"  said 
the  younger.  "  Let  me  shoot  first.  You  will  miss  ; 
you  will  not  hit  her  heart." 

"  I  will  hit,"  said  the  elder. 

They  watched  and  watched.  Each  had  his  bow 
drawn  ready  to  shoot.  Daylight  came  now.  Haka 
Lasi  rose  quickly,  came  to  the  top  of  the  water,  and 
held  out  her  arms  before  calling. 

The  younger  brother  sent  the  first  arrow,  struck 
her  in  the  neck ;  the  elder  shot,  struck  her  right 
under  the  arm.  Haka  Lasi  dropped  back  and  sank 
in  the  water. 

The  brothers  watched  and  watched.    After  a  time 


Haka  Lasi  and  Tsore  Jowa  415 

they  saw  two  arrows  floating,  and  were  afraid  they 
had  lost  her.  She  had  pulled  them  out  of  her  body, 
and  they  rose  to  the  surface.  After  a  while  the 
body  rose.  Haka  Lasi  was  dead. 

The  brothers  saw  that  she  had  a  great  many 
hearts  on  a  string  around  her  neck.  They  drew 
her  to  the  shore  then,  and  carried  her  home.  They 
left  the  body  hidden  outside  the  house,  and  went  in. 

"  We  did  not  see  her,"  said  the  elder  Tsanunewa 
to  his  grandmother. 

All  sat  down  to  eat  fish,  and  when  they  were 
through  eating,  the  elder  said  to  Tsore  Jowa, 
"  Come  out  and  see  what  we  caught  this  morning." 

She  ran  out  with  them,  and  saw  her  dead  sister 
with  a  string  of  hearts  on  her  neck.  Tsore  Jowa 
took  off  her  buckskin  skirt,  wrapped  up  the  body, 
and  put  it  in  the  house.  She  counted  the  hearts. 

"  My  eldest  brother's  heart  is  not  here,  and  my 
father's  is  not  here,"  said  she. 

"  Every  morning  we  hear  some  one  crying,  far 
away  toward  the  north ;  that  may  be  one  of  them," 
said  the  two  Tsanunewas. 

Tsore  Jowa  started  out  to  find  this  one,  if  she 
could,  who  was  calling.  She  left  the  body  and 
hearts  at  the  old  grandmother's  house,  and  hurried 
off  toward  the  north.  She  heard  the  cry  soon  and 
knew  it.  "  That  is  my  father,"  said  she. 

Tsore  Jowa  came  near  the  place  from  which  the 
cry  rose ;  saw  no  one.  Still  she  heard  the  cry. 
At  last  she  saw  a  face ;  it  was  the  face  of  Juka,  her 
father. 

Tsore  Jowa  took  a  sharp  stick  and  dug.     She  dug 


4i  6      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

down  to  Juka's  waist;  tried  to  pull  him  up,  but 
could  not  stir  him.  She  dug  again,  dug  a  good 
while ;  pulled  and  pulled,  until  at  last  she  drew  him 
out. 

Juka  was  very  poor,  all  bones,  no  flesh  at  all  on 
him.  Tsore  Jowa  put  down  a  deerskin,  wrapped 
her  father  in  it,  and  carried  him  to  the  old  woman's 
house ;  then  she  put  him  with  Haka  Lasi's  body, 
and  carried  them  home  to  the  old  burned  sweat- 
house  east  of  Jigulmatu. 

She  was  crying  yet,  since  one  brother  was  mis 
sing.  She  put  down  the  basket  in  which  she  had 
carried  them,  hid  it  away,  covered  it  carefully. 

At  the  foot  of  Wahkalu  lived  a  certain  Jamuka, 
an  old  man  who  had  a  wife  and  two  daughters. 

"  Bring  in  some  wood/'  said  the  old  man  one  day 
to  his  daughters. 

The  two  girls  took  their  baskets  and  went  to  bring 
wood.     Soon  they  heard  some  one  singing,  — 
"  I-no  i-no,  I-no  mi-na 
I-no,  i-no  I-no  mi-na." 

cc  Listen,"  said  the  younger  sister  ;  cc  some  one  is 
singing." 

They  listened,  heard  the  singing;  it  seemed  right 
at  the  foot  of  Wahkalu.  They  went  toward  the 
place  from  which  the  sound  came. 

"  That  is  a  nice  song,"  said  the  younger  sister. 
"  I  should  like  to  see  the  one  who  sings  so." 

They  went  near,  saw  no  one  yet.  "  Let  us  take 
the  wood  home,"  said  the  elder  sister,  "  then  come 
back  here ;  our  father  may  be  angry  if  we  stay  away 
longer." 


Haka  Lasi  and  Tsore  Jowa  417 

They  took  the  wood  home,  put  it  down,  and  said 
nothing.  Both  went  back  to  the  place  where  the 
singing  was  and  listened.  At  last  the  younger  sister 
came  to  the  right  place,  and  said,  "  I  think  this  is 
he  who  is  singing." 

There  was  a  head  sticking  out  of  the  ground,  and 
the  face  was  covered  with  water.  The  man  had  cried 
so  much  that  he  looked  dirty  and  ugly. 

The  sisters  took  sharp  sticks,  and  dug  all  around 
the  head,  dug  deeply.  They  could  not  pull  out  the 
person ;  they  had  only  dug  to  his  waist  when  night 
came  and  they  must  go. 

<c  Why  did  you  stay  out  so  late  ?  "  asked  their 
father. 

"  We  heard  some  one  singing,  and  wanted  to  know 
who  it  was,  but  were  not  able.  We  will  go  back  in 
the  morning  and  search  again." 

"That  is  well,"  said  Jamuka.  He  had  heard  how 
Juka's  sons  had  been  killed.  cc  Perhaps  one  of 
those  people  is  alive  yet,"  said  he ;  "  you  must  look 
for  him." 

They  went  early  next  morning  to  dig,  and  drew 
the  man  out.  They  took  off  their  buckskin  skirts 
then,  and  wrapped  him  up  carefully.  He  was  noth 
ing  but  bones,  no  flesh  at  all  on  his  body.  The 
younger  sister  ran  home  to  get  wildcat  skins  to  wrap 
around  him. 

"  We  have  found  a  man,  but  he  is  all  bones,"  said 
she  to  her  father. 

"  Take  good  care  of  the  stranger,  feed  and  nurse 
him  well,"  said  Jamuka ;  "  he  may  be  Juka  himself, 

and  he  is  a  good  man." 

27 


41 8      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

They  wrapped  the  man  in  wildcat  skins.  A  great 
stream  of  water  was  running  from  his  eyes,  and  deer 
came  down  the  hill  to  drink  of  that  water. 

The  girls  lay  on  each  side  of  the  man,  and  gave 
him  food  ;  stayed  all  night  with  him.  Next  morn 
ing  they  went  home  for  more  food. 

"  Feed  him,  give  him  plenty/'  said  Jamuka ;  "  he 
may  get  health  and  strength  yet." 

The  sisters  went  back  and  stayed  a  second  night. 
The  man  began  to  look  better,  but  he  cried  all  the 
time,  and  many  deer  came  to  drink  the  water  that 
flowed  from  his  eyes.  The  girls  went  home  the 
second  morning.  "  The  man  looks  better,"  said 
they  to  their  father. 

"  I  have  heard,"  said  old  Jamuka,  "  that  Juka's 
sons  were  killed.  This  must  be  one  of  them." 

They  went  back  right  away,  and  stayed  another  day 
and  night  with  the  stranger.  The  man  looked  as 
though  he  might  get  his  health  again.  He  began  to 
talk.  "  Has  your  father  a  bow  and  arrows  ?  "  asked 
he  of  the  sisters. 

"  He  has  ;    he  has  many." 

"  Bring  me  a  bow  and  arrows ;  many  deer  come 
near  me  to  drink,  I  may  shoot  one." 

They  took  the  man's  words  to  their  father. 
Jamuka  gave  them  a  bow  and  some  arrows,  and 
they  went  back  to  the  sick  man. 

"  You  may  go  home  to-night,"  said  he.  "  I  wish 
to  be  alone." 

The  girls  left  him.  At  sundown  a  great  buck 
came  and  drank  of  the  tears,  he  killed  him  ;  later 
another  came,  he  killed  that  one  ;  at  midnight  a  third 


Haka  Lasi  and  Tsore  Jowa  419 

came,  he  killed  the  third ;  now  he  had  three.  At 
daylight  a  fourth  buck  was  killed ;  he  had  four 
now.  "  That  is  enough,"  thought  he. 

When  the  girls  came  and  saw  four  great  bucks 
lying  dead  near  the  stranger,  they  were  frightened  ; 
they  ran  home  and  told  their  father.  Old  Jamuka 
was  glad  when  they  told  him.  He  sharpened  his 
knife,  hurried  out  to  the  woods  and  looked  at  the 
stranger.  "  That  is  Juka's  son,"  said  he ;  "  take 
good  care  of  him,  daughters." 

Jamuka  dressed  the  deer,  carried  them  home,  and 
cut  up  the  venison  for  drying.  Next  evening  Juka's 
son  sent  the  girls  home  a  second  time,  and  killed 
five  great  deer  that  night.  Next  morning  the  girls 
came  to  see  him,  and  ran  home  in  wonder. 

Their  father  was  very  glad.  He  dressed  the  five 
deer  as  he  had  the  four,  and  cut  up  the  venison. 

Tsore  Jowa  was  hunting  everywhere  all  this  time 
to  find  her  brother.  She  had  left  the  hearts,  her 
sister's  body,  and  her  father  hidden  away  carefully ; 
had  done  nothing  yet  to  save  them. 

The  night  after  Juka's  son  killed  the  five  deer 
the  two  girls  took  him  home  to  their  father.  He  was 
well  now  and  beautiful,  in  good  health  and  strong. 
He  cried  no  more  after  that.  A  salt  spring  was 
formed  in  the  place  where  he  had  fallen  and  shed 
so  many  tears.  The  spring  is  in  that  place  till  this 
day,  and  deer  go  in  herds  to  drink  from  it.  People 
watch  near  the  spring  and  kill  them,  as  Juka's  son 
did.  Tsore  Jowa  went  to  every  house  inquiring 
about  her  brother.  At  last  she  came  to  Jamuka' s 
house,  and  there  she  found  him.  She  was  glad 


420      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

now  and  satisfied.  She  left  her  brother  with  his 
two  wives  and  hurried  home. 

Tsore  Jowa  made  in  one  night  a  great  sweat- 
house,  prepared  a  big  basket,  and  filled  it  with  water. 
When  the  second  night  came,  she  dropped  hot  stones 
into  the  water ;  put  all  the  hearts  into  the  basket. 
Opening  her  sister's  body,  she  took  out  her  heart 
and  put  it  in  with  the  others.  At  this  time  the 
water  in  the  basket  was  boiling.  She  covered 
the  basket  and  placed  it  on  top  of  the  sweat- 
house.  Then  she  went  in,  lay  down  and  slept. 

The  water  was  seething  all  night.  At  daybreak 
the  basket  turned  over,  and  there  was  a  crowding 
and  hurrying  of  people  around  the  sweat-house. 
They  began  to  talk  briskly. 

"  We  are  cold,  we  are  cold  !  "  said  they.  "  Let  us 
in!" 

Soon  broad  daylight  came.  Tsore  Jowa  opened 
the  door,  and  all  crowded  into  the  sweat-house. 
Tsore  Jowa  said  not  a  word  yet.  All  the  brothers 
came ;  behind  them  Haka  Lasi.  She  looked  well, 
she  was  good.  Her  heart  was  clean ;  there  was 
nothing  bad  now  in  it. 

<c  Where  is  our  eldest  brother  ?  "  asked  all. 

"He  is  well;  I  have  found  him.  He  has  two 
wives,"  said  Tsore  Jowa. 

Juka  was  in  good  health  and  strong.  She  had 
washed  him  and  given  him  good  food. 

All  were  happy,  and  they  went  hunting. 

"  I  think  your  husband  would  like  to  go  home," 
said  Jamuka  one  day  to  his  daughters. 

Juka's  son  and  his  two  wives  set  out  to  visit  his 


Haka  Lasi  and  Tsore  Jowa  421 

father ;  Juka  saw  his  son  coming ;  took  a  big 
blanket  quickly,  caught  him,  placed  him  in  it,  and 
put  him  right  away. 

Now  the  wives  of  Juka's  son  came  in  and  sat  down 
in  the  house.  Two  other  brothers  took  them  for 
wives.  They  stayed  a  long  time,  never  saw  their 
first  husband  again.  Old  Juka  kept  him  secreted, 
made  him  a  Weanmauna,  a  hidden  one. 

After  a  time  the  two  women  wished  to  go  home 
to  visit  Jamuka.  They  took  beads  and  blankets, 
nice  things  of  all  kinds,  and  went  to  their  father  at 
the  foot  of  Wahkalu. 

"  We  have  never  seen  our  husband,"  said  they, 
"  since  we  went  to  his  father's.  We  have  new 
husbands  now." 

"  I  think  that  is  well  enough,"  said  Jamuka. 
"  His  father  has  put  him  away.  His  brothers  are 
as  good  for  you  as  he  was." 

The  sisters  agreed  with  their  father,  and  went 
back  and  lived  at  Juka's  house  after  that. 


THE    DREAM    OF    JUIWAIYU    AND 

HIS   JOURNEY   TO    DAMHAUJA'S 

COUNTRY 


THE    DREAM    OF    JUIWAIYU    AND 

HIS   JOURNEY   TO    DAMHAUJA'S 

COUNTRY 

PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  creature  or  thing  into  which 
the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Damhauja,  the  moon  just  before  renewal;  Darijua,  gray  squirrel; 
Halaia,  morning  star ;  Jupka,  butterfly  of  the  wild  silk  worm  ;  Juiwaiyu, 
acorn  of  the  Eastern  black  oak  ;  Kechowala,  blue  jay;  Mahari,  Eastern 
black  oak ;  Pahnino,  a  kind  of  ocean-shell  •.  Periwiriwaiyu,  another 
kind  of  Eastern  black  oak. 


JUIWAIYU  lived  far  away  in  the  east,  in  the 
southern  part  of  it.  His  father,  Periwiriwaiyu, 
was  old.  His  mother,  Maharia,  was  old,  too ;  but 
both  were  very  beautiful. 

Juiwaiyu  hunted,  fished ;  was  happy  till  one 
night  he  dreamed  of  two  girls  who  lived  beyond 
Wahkalu,  lived  north  of  that  mountain. 

"  I  dreamed  of  two  sisters,'*  said  he  to  his  father 
and  mother  next  morning,  "  I  saw  two  women 
last  night.  They  are  both  very  beautiful.  I  must 
find  them  ;  I  will  bring  them  home  if  I  can." 

"  You  must  not  go,"  said  his  father  and  mother. 
"  If  you  go,  you  will  never  come  back  to  this  coun 
try.  We  shall  not  see  you  again  if  you  leave  us. 
We  know  that  those  people  will  kill  you.  We 
shall  never  see  you  again  if  you  go  from  here." 
Then  they  cried  bitterly,  both  of  them. 


426      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

But  his  father  and  mother  could  not  stop  Jui- 
waiyu ;  he  would  go.  When  he  was  ready  to  start, 
his  mother  said,  — 

"  Your  uncle  lives  at  Shultsmauna,  near  Kamshu- 
matu.  Stop  there.  You  must  see  your  uncle, 
you  must  talk  with  him.  His  name  is  Jupka. 
He  is  very  wise ;  he  will  help  you.  There  will  be 
thunder  and  a  sprinkle  of  rain  here  when  you  touch 
your  uncle's  house.  I  shall  know  then  that  you 
have  got  that  far  in  safety." 

Juiwaiyu  began  to  sing.  He  started,  and  rose 
through  the  air.  He  went  very  high,  and  cried  — 
cried  and  sang  as  he  travelled.  Though  he  had 
made  up  his  mind  to  go,  he  feared  that  his  mother's 
words  might  come  true,  that  the  people  beyond 
Wahkalu  might  kill  him.  He  looked  far  ahead, 
and  saw  smoke  near  the  edge  of  the  sky.  "  That 
may  be  smoke  from  my  uncle's  house,"  thought 
Juiwaiyu. 

He  moved  toward  the  smoke ;  went  on  till  he 
was  straight  above  his  uncle's  house.  He  went 
down  to  the  roof  then,  and  peeped  in  through  the 
smoke-hole.  The  old  man,  who  was  lying  with  his 
back  to  the  fire,  saw  him  look  in.  Jupka  stood 
up,  looked  again,  grabbed  his  spear. 

"Is  that  the  way  you  look  into  my  house? 
What  do  you  want  here  ?  "  cried  Jupka,  aiming  his 
spear  at  the  stranger. 

"  It  is  I,  uncle,  —  I,  Juiwaiyu." 
c  Why   did   you    not    call    me  uncle   when  you 
looked  first  ?  Why  did  you  not  say  who  you  were 
when  you  came  ?  I  might  have  killed  you ;  I  came 


The  Dream  of  Juiwaiyu  427 

very  near  killing  you  with  my  spear.  Come  down, 
come  down  ;  let  me  see  you,  my  nephew." 

"  I  will,"  said  Juiwaiyu ;  "  I  have  travelled  far 
to-day,  I  am  tired." 

He  went  down  on  the  central  pole. 

"  Uncle,  I  have  come  to  talk  with  you,  to  let 
you  know  where  I  am  going." 

"  You  would  better  eat  first,"  said  Jupka ;  and 
he  took  Juiwaiyu  in  his  arms,  smoothed  his  hair, 
and  was  glad  to  look  at  him. 

"  You  are  tired,  my  nephew ;  you  are  hungry ; 
you  must  eat." 

"  I  am  not  hungry  ;  I  have  no  time  to  wait ;  I 
am  in  a  great  hurry." 

"  Where  are  you  going,  my  nephew  ? "  asked 
Jupka. 

"  I  had  a  dream  last  night,  my  uncle ;  I  dreamed 
of  two  sisters,  daughters  of  Damhauja." 

"  You  would  better  stay  at  home.  My  nephew, 
stay  at  home ;  you  would  better  not  go  for  those 
sisters.  Forget  them  ;  don't  think  of  those  girls," 
said  Jupka.  "If  you  go,  you  will  never  come 
back.  The  place  where  they  live  is  a  bad  one ; 
every  stranger  gets  killed  who  goes  there.  I  have 
seen  many  men  on  the  way  to  Damhauja's ;  many 
a  man  has  passed  here  to  look  for  those  sisters,  but 
never  have  I  seen  any  come  back  with  or  without  a 
woman.  I  have  been  in  that  country  myself,  I 
know  it  well.  I  had  to  fight  for  my  life  there,  and 
came  near  being  killed.  I  am  many  times  stronger 
than  you,  know  people  better  than  you  do,  and  I 
would  not  go  to  that  country." 


428      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  No  matter  what  kind  of  country  that  is,  no 
matter  what  kind  of  people  live  in  it,  I  must  find 
those  two  sisters.  I  have  dreamt  of  them.  There 
is  no  use  in  trying  to  hold  me  back.  I  must  go  ;  I 
cannot  stop,  I  cannot  help  myself." 

"  Well,"  said  Jupka,  "  if  you  must  go,  I  will  go 
with  you  ;  you  would  be  lost  without  me.  I  must 
save  you,  my  nephew.  I  will  make  myself  small ; 
you  can  put  me  on  your  head,  you  can  tie  me  up 
in  your  hair  easily." 

The  old  man  made  himself  small,  and  Juiwaiyu 
put  him  on  the  top  of  his  head,  bound  him  firmly 
in  his  hair,  bound  him  so  that  no  one  could  see  him. 
Then  he  went  up  on  the  sweat-house  and  turned 
toward  the  sun. 

"  Sun,  O  Sun,  I  wish  you  to  be  slow,"  said  he. 
"  I  must  go  very  far ;  I  wish  the  day  to  last  long." 

"  I  will  tell  you  now  of  the  road,"  said  Jupka. 
"  When  you  come  near  a  small  mountain  east  of 
Wahkalu,  there  will  be  three  roads  there  before  you  ; 
one  on  the  right  hand  very  narrow.  You  can 
hardly  see  that  road,  it  is  so  little  beaten,  but  you 
must  find  it,  for  you  cannot  go  by  another.  There 
is  a  middle  road,  smooth  and  wide ;  you  will  see 
fresh  clover  scattered  on  the  road,  just  as  if  women 
had  carried  some  over  and  dropped  a  little  here  and 
there.  If  you  go  over  that  road,  you  will  be  killed 
by  lice  and  wind.  On  the  left  hand  is  a  road ;  if 
you  take  that,  you  will  lose  yourself  and  never  reach 
any  place." 

"  I  will  sing  now,"  said  Juiwaiya, "  and  my  song  will 
be  heard  everywhere,  north,  south,  east,  and  west." 


The  Dream  of  Juiwaiyu  429 

He  began,  and  rose  in  the  air  as  he  sang ;  he  rose, 
and  as  he  moved  forward,  the  whole  world  heard 
him ;  every  one  looked  up  to  see  who  was  singing, 
but  no  one  saw  anything. 

"  That  sounds  like  the  song  of  Juiwaiyu,"  said 
some  of  the  people.  "  I  think  that  is  the  voice  of 
Periwiriwaiyu's  son,"  said  others;  "I  think  that  is 
he,  for  that 's  how  he  sings  when  he  travels." 

They  tried  to  see  who  was  singing,  but  saw  no 
one.  The  song  seemed  just  above  them,  but  it 
was  high  up,  very  high  in  the  air. 

"  Hurry,  my  nephew,  hurry,"  said  Jupka ;  "  I 
don't  like  to  camp  on  the  journey,  I  want  to  be  at 
that  place  before  sunset." 

Juiwaiyu  sang  faster  now;  he  could  not  move 
without  singing.  He  moved  swiftly,  and  soon 
they  were  east  of  Wahkalu. 

"  Look  down  carefully,"  said  Jupka ;  "  if  you  see 
clover  scattered  on  a  road,  you  must  not  go  over  it. 
Go  over  that  road  on  the  right,  do  not  look  at  the 
other." 

Damhauja  had  sent  people  to  scatter  clover  on 
the  middle  road  and  entice  men,  make  them  think 
that  the  road  to  his  sweat-house. 

"  The  middle  road  lies  straight  toward  the  moun 
tain,"  said  Jupka ;  "  all  people  die  who  try  to  pass 
over  it.  A  great  many  lie  dead  on  that  road  now, 
my  nephew ;  do  not  go  near  it." 

Juiwaiyu  kept  on ;  soon  they  heard  laughter 
ahead  on  the  small  mountain,  loud  laughter. 

"  You  are  on  the  wrong  road,"  said  Jupka. 
"  Turn  back,  my  nephew ;  if  not,  you  will  die 


430     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

surely.  That  was  the  laughter  of  people  sent 
by  Damhauja  to  kill  all  who  go  over  the  middle 
road." 

Juiwaiyu  kept  on ;  he  would  not  listen  to  his  un 
cle.  Soon  a  great  wind  came,  bringing  clouds  of  lice 
with  it ;  the  air  was  filled  with  them.  They  fell  on 
Juiwaiyu,  and  ate  the  flesh  off  his  body.  The  wind 
drove  him  far  back  on  his  journey,  and  blew  the 
beads  from  his  neck.  The  people  of  the  mountain 
did  this,  —  people  put  there  and  kept  by  Damhauja. 

Juiwaiyu  was  angry.  He  rushed  forward  a  sec 
ond  time. 

"  I  will  pass,  I  will  go  through  this  time,"  said 
he. 

"  I  told  you  of  this  trouble,"  said  Jupka,  "  I 
warned  you.  I  said  that  this  was  an  evil  road  over 
which  no  one  can  pass.  Stop,  or  you  will  be  dead 
before  night  comes.  Stop  !  Let  me  down ;  I  will 
save  you." 

Juiwaiyu  came  to  the  ground,  and  took  out  his 
uncle. 

"  I  will  save  you,"  said  Jupka ;  "  I  will  give  you 
back  flesh  and  strength." 

The  old  man  took  his  pipe  and  drew  smoke 
through  it.  The  wind  went  away ;  the  lice  disap 
peared,  not  one  was  left  anywhere.  Jupka  took  up 
a  rose-twig.  With  this  he  whipped  Juiwaiyu,  and 
he  was  as  sound  and  strong  as  ever.  He  had  all 
his  flesh  back  in  a  moment. 

The  people  of  the  mountain  saw  this.  "We 
cannot  kill  him,"  said  they ;  "  he  has  too  much 
power  for  us." 


The  Dream  of  Juiwaiyu  431 

"  You  must  turn  back  and  start  where  the  roads 
part/'  said  Jupka.  "  On  the  right  is  a  small  narrow 
trail ;  you  can  barely  see  it,  but  you  must  find  this 
trail.  You  cannot  go  to  Damhauja's  house  by  an 
other  way." 

Juiwaiyu  went  back  to  where  the  paths  parted. 

"  You  are  looking  for  the  way,"  said  Jupka. 
"  If  you  see  a  narrow  little  trail,  that  is  it." 

He  found  that  trail  at  last.  "That  is  the  right 
way,"  said  the  uncle. 

It  was  so  narrow  that  Juiwaiyu  was  barely  able 
to  see  it.  He  went  forward  easily;  went  fast,  like 
a  man  who  is  running  down  hill.  They  came 
to  the  small  mountain,  and  when  Juiwaiyu  was 
above  it,  he  heard  laughing  at  a  distant  village. 
"  That  must  be  the  place  to  which  we  are  going," 
said  he. 

"  My  nephew,  look  out  now,  be  careful.  When 
you  go  into  Damhauja's  sweat-house  and  sit  with 
his  daughters,  he  will  give  you  a  pipe  filled  with 
crushed  bones  of  people  instead  of  tobacco.  If  you 
breathe  smoke  from  that  pipe,  you  will  die  the  next 
moment.  With  this  smoke  he  has  killed  those  who 
escaped  lice  and  wind  from  the  mountain." 

Juiwaiyu  rested  a  while,  and  thought  of  the  beads 
he  had  lost.  "  I  wish  my  beads  would  return  to 
me,"  said  he.  That  moment  the  beads  were  on  his 
neck.  They  were  as  beautiful  as  ever. 

"  My  beads,  you  must  not  go  again  from  me. 
You  must  stay  with  me,  and  you  must  be  in  plenty. 
Pahnino  Marimi,  I  wish  you  to  send  your  daughters 
for  leaves,  wood,  and  water.  Be  kind  when  I  come 


432     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

to  you.  Do  not  kill  me.  Let  us  go  on,"  said  he 
to  his  uncle. 

They  went  forward,  and  soon  they  saw  two  girls, 
one  holding  the  other  by  the  hand.  These  girls 
were  coming  toward  the  mountain,  swaying  their 
hands  and  singing.  Juiwaiyu  came  to  the  ground, 
hid  behind  a  tree,  and  said,  cc  Let  there  be  wood 
here  in  plenty,  wood  for  these  women."  The  wood 
was  right  there  in  one  moment. 

The  two  girls  set  down  their  baskets  and  filled 
them.  "  I  wish  that  man  would  come,"  said  one 
sister  to  the  other,  "  the  man  we  dreamed  of  last 
night," 

They  put  down  their  hands  to  take  the  baskets. 
Juiwaiyu  caught  their  hands.  They  looked  around, 
saw  him,  and  were  frightened. 

"  Why  are  you  frightened  ?  I  dreamed  of  you 
last  night,  you  dreamed  of  me.  Go  home,  go 
ahead,  hurry  forward,  I  will  follow ;  I  will  be  at 
your  father's  house  soon." 

They  put  the  baskets  on  their  backs,  ran  quickly, 
reached  home  soon,  threw  down  the  baskets  outside 
the  doorway,  and  rushed  into  the  sweat-house. 

"  What  are  you  scared  at,  my  daughters  ?  You 
saw  some  young  man  in  the  woods,  I  think,"  said 
Pahnino,  their  mother,  who  was  making  acorn  bread 
outside  the  doorway.  "  I  think  that  some  brother- 
in-law  was  watching  you  near  the  mountain." 

<c  You  have  never  seen  the  man  we  met,"  said  the 
sisters. 

Pahnino  went  to  look  ;  she  looked  carefully,  but 
saw  no  man  coming  toward  her  from  any  side. 


The  Dream  of  Juiwaiyu  433 

The  two  sisters  spread  a  black  bearskin  and  sat  on 
it,  sat  near  each  other  and  waited.  The  old  man 
went  out  to  look,  put  his  hand  over  his  eyes  to  see 
a  new  son-in-law,  but  could  see  no  one.  Juiwaiyu 
was  on  the  house  now ;  he  went  down  through  the 
central  pillar,  passed  through  the  ground,  and  came 
up  between  Damhauja' s  two  daughters.  Pahnino 
Marimi  walked  in  at  that  moment  to  scold  her 
daughters.  She  looked,  and  saw  Juiwaiyu  between 
them. 

"  Some  one  is  sitting  with  our  daughters/'  said 
she  to  the  old  man. 

Damhauja  went  for  his  pipe,  put  in  crushed  bones 
of  Mapchemaina,  and  handed  the  pipe  to  his 
daughters. 

"  Give  this  to  my  son-in-law,"  said  he. 

They  did  not  like  to  take  the  pipe,  but  they 
could  not  refuse  their  father,  they  could  not  help 
themselves.  They  were  crying. 

"  You  must  not  smoke  this,"  whispered  they  ; 
"  we  will  give  you  another  kind."  They  took  the 
tobacco  out  and  put  in  some  of  the  common  sort. 
The  old  man  did  not  watch  sharply  at  first ;  he  was 
thinking  only  to  see  Juiwaiyu  drop  dead.  The 
girls  handed  back  the  empty  pipe  to  their  father. 

Jupka,  who  was  sitting  on  his  nephew's  head, 
laughed  in  his  own  mind. 

"  I  don't  know  what  sort  of  man  this  is,"  thought 
Damhauja ;  "  I  have  never  seen  such  a  person.  I 
think  he  must  have  come  to  fight  with  me  ;  I  will 
try  him  once  more." 

He  filled  the  pipe  a  second  time,  and  gave  it  to 

28 


434     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

his  daughters.  They  handed  it  to  Juiwaiyu.  This 
time  they  could  not  change  the  tobacco.  Damhauja 
was  watching  too  carefully.  Jupka  smoked  this 
pipe.  No  smoke  could  hurt  him.  Damhauja,  who 
hoped  to  see  Juiwaiyu  fall  dead,  became  frightened 
when  he  saw  him  as  well  as  ever. 

"  What  am  I  to  do  ?  "  thought  he.  "  I  give  this 
tobacco  to  every  man  who  comes  for  my  daughters, 
and  every  man  who  smokes  dies  right  away.  I  am 
afraid  of  my  new  son-in-law.  I  will  not  fight  with 
this  man.  Let  my  other  sons-in-law  try  him.  My 
daughters,  I  want  you  to  give  nice  food  to  your 
husband ;  give  him  good  things  to  eat,  take  the  best 
care  of  him,  treat  him  well.  My  boys,  I  want  you 
to  bring  plenty  of  nice  food  to  my  son-in-law." 

"  I  will  give  venison  now  to  these  sisters,"  thought 
Jupka ;  and  he  took  out  a  small  piece  of  fat  venison 
as  large  as  a  walnut.  This  he  gave  to  Juiwaiyu,  and 
told  him  to  ask  for  a  large  basket.  They  brought 
it. 

"  You,  venison,  keep  this  size,"  said  Juiwaiyu  ; 
"  be  no  smaller,  you  must  not  be  gone ;  "  and  then 
he  cut  slices. 

Damhauja  carried  off  three  great  baskets  of  meat, 
then  went  out  on  the  house-top  and  called  all  his 
sons. 

"  Come  for  venison,  my  sons,"  said  he.  "  There 
is  plenty  for  all  of  you." 

Damhauja  had  a  great  many  sons-in-law  on  the 
west  beyond  a  river.  All  his  daughters  were  mar 
ried  except  two.  These  sons-in-law  heard  him  call 
and  wondered.  "What  has  happened?"  asked 


The  Dream  of  Juiwaiyu  435 

they  of  one  another.  "  We  Ve  never  heard  the  old 
man  talk  that  way  before.  He  must  have  found  a 
new  son-in-law ;  he  must  have  found  a  husband  for 
Halaia  and  Pahnino  Marimi." 

All  Damhauja's  sons  came  into  the  sweat-house. 

Kechowala,  a  son-in-law  and  chief  on  the  west 
side,  sent  his  two  sons,  Kechowala  and  Darijua,  to 
see  what  was  happening  at  the  sweat-house. 

When  the  boys  came  and  looked  in,  the  elder  saw 
a  man,  he  thought,  but  did  not  know  him.  Dam 
hauja's  sons  were  dancing  a  fire-dance.  The  two 
brothers  looked  around  carefully,  but  the  younger 
did  not  see  the  strange  man.  They  ran  down  from 
the  sweat-house,  and  on  the  way  home  began  to 
quarrel. 

"  I  think  our  grandfather  has  a  new  son-in-law ;  I 
saw  him,"  said  Kechowala,  the  elder. 

"  You  did  not,"  said  the  younger. 

cc  Why  do  you  try  to  hide  him,  why  do  you  deny  ? 
I  saw  him  surely." 

"  When  we  get  home,  you  will  say  that  you  saw  a 

stranger  in  the  sweat-house ;  but  if  you  do,  you  will 

i  •    » 
lie. 

"We  shall  see  great  trouble,  I  think,"  said 
the  elder ;  "  there  will  be  fighting  now  our  grand 
father  has  a  new  son-in-law,  there  will  be  great 
fighting." 

The  two  boys  ran  very  fast,  disputing  as  they 
went.  They  got  to  the  river,  swam  across,  ran 
home. 

"  There  is  a  strange  man  over  there ;  grandfather 
has  a  new  son-in-law,"  said  Kechowala. 


436     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  Don't  believe  what  he  says,"  cried  Darijua  to 
his  father;  "  I  could  not  see  any  man." 

"  Why  do  you  want  to  hide  him,  why  do  you 
deny  ?  You  must  have  seen  him  plainly." 

"  I  did  not  see  him,  and  you  did  not.  I  saw  all 
who  were  there,  but  I  saw  no  stranger." 

"  I  saw  him  sitting  between  the  two  girls,"  said 
Kechowala. 

"  He  is  there,"  said  the  father.  "  I  will  see  that 
man  to-morrow." 

"  My  son-in-law,"  said  Damhauja,  "you  must  be 
careful  to-morrow.  I  have  a  great  many  daughters 
besides  your  two  wives ;  their  husbands  will  try  to 
kill  you."  Then  Damhauja  said  to  his  sons  :  "We 
will  go  to  sleep  and  rise  early ;  take  good  care  of 
your  brother-in-law  to-morrow." 

All  went  to  rest ;  Juiwaiyu  and  his  wives  as  well 
as  others. 

When  all  were  asleep,  Juiwaiyu  took  Jupka  out 
of  his  hair  and  rose  up.  "  I  wish  for  daylight 
quickly,"  said  he. 

Thunder  roared  then,  and  some  rain  came  ;  Jui 
waiyu  wished  to  let  his  mother  know  that  he  was 
well.  He  went  out,  took  one  step  and  went  from 
the  sweat-house  to  the  other  side  of  the  nearest 
mountain,  with  the  second  step  he  went  to  the  top 
of  a  mountain  beyond. 

Jupka  was  angry  because  Damhauja  had  tried  to 
kill  Juiwaiyu  with  the  poisonous  pipe.  Now  he 
took  vengeance.  He  put  the  two  sisters  on  a  high 
place  in  the  sweat-house,  made  a  great  storm  of  wind 
and  rain.  Soon  the  whole  place  was  filled  with 


The  Dream  of  Juiwaiyu  437 

water.  It  rolled  and  swept  through  the  sweat- 
house,  drowned  Damhauja  and  his  wife;  washed 
their  bodies  out  through  the  door  away. 

Juiwaiyu  on  the  mountain  took  his  yaiyauna  flute 
and  began  to  play.  All  the  world  heard  him,  all 
people  went  to  hill-tops  and  mountain-tops,  all 
stretched  their  heads  up  and  listened,  all  said,  "  That 
must  be  Juiwaiyu  ;  no  one  plays  in  that  way  but 
Juiwaiyu."  Deer  began  to  come  from  the  east 
along  the  same  way  over  which  Juiwaiyu  had  come, 
and  all  stood  before  him. 

"  Let  one  stand  in  front  of  me  and  look  this 
way,"  said  Juiwaiyu,  "let  all  the  others  stand  be 
hind  that  first  one." 

They  stood  in  the  line,  a  fawn  in  the  first  place. 
He  shot  them  all  with  one  arrow,  hundreds  of  them. 
The  arrow  entered  the  mouth  of  the  front  deer  and 
went  out  near  the  tail  of  the  last.  Then  Juiwaiyu 
took  the  little  fawn  and  opened  it,  made  the  deer 
very  small,  put  them  all  inside  the  fawn's  body,  took 
that  home  in  one  hand,  threw  the  fawn  down  on 
the  sweat-house.  The  deer  inside  the  fawn  became 
as  big  as  ever,  rolled  down,  filled  the  whole  place 
around  the  sweat-house. 

Juiwaiyu  now  saw  Damhauja  and  Pahnino  Ma- 
rimi  lying  cold  and  dead.  He  ran  then  to  Jupka  in 
the  sweat-house.  "Bring  them  to  life,  my  uncle; 
bring  them  to  life  again  ! " 

Jupka  whipped  both  with  a  rose-twig  and  brought 
them  to  life.  Damhauja  shook  himself  and  said, 
"  I  slept  too  hard." 

"  You  would  not  have  waked  up  at  all  but  for 


438     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

my  nephew.     You  wanted  to  kill  him.      I  punished 

» 
you. 

Damhauja  knew  Jupka  now.  "  Oh,  why  did  you 
not  let  me  know  that  you  were  here  ?  I  would  not 
have  tried  to  hurt  Juiwaiyu." 

The  old  man  saw  so  many  deer  around  the  sweat- 
house  that  he  did  n't  know  what  to  think.  At  last 
he  went  up  on  the  sweat-house.  "  Come,  my  sons, 
come,"  cried  he ;  "  there  is  venison  here  for  all  of 
you." 

All  the  sons  came.  Each  had  one  deer,  and 
there  were  many  others  to  spare. 

All  the  sons-in-law  in  the  west  were  angry  that 
Damhauja's  sons  had  so  much  venison. 

"  We  will  go  over  and  see  this  man,"  said  Ke- 
chowala,  the  chief.  "  We  will  have  some  fun  to-day 
with  him." 

When  Damhauja's  eldest  son  was  bringing  veni 
son  to  his  father,  he  saw  Kechowala.  "  He  is  com 
ing,"  said  the  son. 

Kechowala  had  an  angry  face ;  he  walked  fast. 
When  he  reached  the  sweat-house,  all  were  eating 
venison.  He  went  to  the  top  of  the  sweat-house, 
took  his  arrow  from  under  his  arm,  and  said, 
C£  Wake  up,  be  ready ;  we  must  play  to-day." 

Then  he  looked  in  and  saw  Juiwaiyu  sitting 
between  the  two  sisters.  "I  know  now  who  that 
man  is  ;  he  is  from  the  east.  Feed  him  well,  dress 
him  well,  father-in-law  ;  we  must  have  fun  before 
he  goes  from  here.  He  must  show  what  he  can 
do  before  he  leaves  us." 

The  old  man  went  out  and  scolded  Kechowala : 


The  Dream  of  Juiwaiyu  439 

"  You  talk  loud,  you  want  fat  venison ;  that 's  what 
you  have  come  for,  that 's  why  you  are  at  this  sweat- 
house." 

Jupka  heard  all  that  Kechowala  said. 

"  I  will  go  home  now,"  said  Kechowala,  "  and  be 
here  after  breakfast." 

"  My  son-in-law  will  be  killed  to-day,"  said  Pah- 
nino  Marimi ;  "  what  can  we  do  ?  They  are  going 
to  kill  our  son-in-law  who  brings  so  much  venison. 
Stay  in  the  house,  do  not  go  out,"  said  Pahnino. 

"  Do  not  go  out,"  said  the  brothers ;  "  we  will 
meet  those  people." 

All  looked,  and  saw  a  great  crowd  coming  from 
the  west.  The  brothers-in-law  were  coming,  and 
when  near  they  shouted  to  Damhauja's  sons.  The 
two  sisters  tried  to  stop  Juiwaiyu. 

"  Let  me  go,  wives,"  said  he,  "  let  me  go.  If  I 
stay  here,  they  will  call  me  a  coward ;  I  will  let  no 
one  give  me  that  name." 

"  I  want  to  see  that  new  man  who  is  here,"  cried 
Kechowala,  "  I  want  to  talk  with  him." 

"  I  will  go  out,"  said  Juiwaiyu,  to  his  wives. 
"  My  father  and  mother  told  me  of  this  place.  I 
know  what  it  is." 

"  Come  out !  "  called  Kechowala  at  the  door, 
"  come  out ;  don't  be  afraid  of  us,  don't  be  a 
coward." 

"  I  will  come  when  I  am  ready,  I  will  meet  you." 

Kechowala  went  to  his  people.  "  He  will  be 
here  soon,"  said  he. 

All  laughed ;  all  were  glad.  "  If  he  comes," 
thought  they,  "  we  will  kill  him." 


44°     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Juiwaiyu  went  out  and  stood  on  the  house-top, 
looked  around,  looked  at  his  enemies,  went  down 
slowly,  went  as  if  he  did  not  like  to  meet  them. 

"  Why  are  you  afraid  ?  "  asked  Kechowala.  "  Do 
you  think  that  we  will  hurt  you  ?  " 

He  went  to  them,  he  sat  on  a  stone.  He  had  but 
one  arrow,  and  that  without  a  point.  This  was  a 
staff  which  his  uncle  had  given  him.  The  play 
ground  was  beyond  a  hill  at  some  distance  from  the 
sweat-house.  "  Stand  up  and  play,"  said  the  sons- 
in-law;  and  they  pushed  Juiwaiyu  to  throw  him, 
but  he  did  not  fall.  All  went  to  the  playground. 
Juiwaiyu  caught  the  bones  on  his  club  at  the  middle 
point,  then  hurled  them  ;  ran  and  caught  them  the 
second  time,  ran  again,  put  the  bones  beyond  the 
barrier.  He  did  the  same  a  second  time,  and  won 
the  first  game.  He  won  two  games  ;  no  one  else 
could  win. 

"  Well,"  said  the  western  brothers-in-law,  "  we 
have  never  seen  any  one  play  bone  like  him.  We 
will  try  him  in  some  other  way." 

Next  they  gave  him  a  start  in  racing.  The  race 
was  to  a  mountain  opposite.  Juiwaiyu  was  to  get 
there  first  if  he  was  able.  They  thought  to  strike 
him  from  behind,  kill  him  easily,  but  they  could 
not  come  near  him.  He  was  at  the  mountain 
before  they  had  run  half  the  distance.  In  the 
afternoon  they  played  bone  a  second  time.  They 
thought  to  kill  him  surely  in  this  way.  Between 
the  middle  of  the  playground  and  Juiwaiyu's  barrier 
they  put  a  great  poison  spider  right  on  the  path 
where  Juiwaiyu  was  to  run,  Jupka  knew  their  plan, 


The  Dream  of  Juiwaiyu  441 

and  pointed  out  the  spider  to  his  nephew.  Juiwaiyu 
jumped  on  the  spider,  crushed  it  right  away  before 
it  could  turn  to  poison  him ;  then  he  took  the  bones 
beyond  the  barrier. 

He  went  back  to  the  middle  of  the  playground. 
Kechowala's  men  said  nothing,  made  no  mention  of 
the  spider.  Juiwaiyu  took  the  bones  beyond  the 
barrier  that  time,  and  won  the  second  inning.  This 
made  the  first  game  of  the  afternoon.  While  they 
were  making  ready  for  the  second  game,  Kechowala 
had  flint  knives  and  spear-points  put  on  the  path  so 
that  Juiwaiyu  should  fall  and  kill  himself. 

They  commenced  the  second  game.  Juiwaiyu 
took  the  bones  from  all  and  ran  ahead,  ran  quickly. 
When  near  the  knives  and  spear-points,  Jupka  told 
him  where  they  were ;  he  came  down  between  some, 
sprang  over  others,  took  the  bones  beyond  the 
barrier,  came  back  as  if  nothing  had  been  put  upon 
his  path ;  went  a  second  time  and  won  the  second 
game. 

He  had  beaten  all  who  had  played  against  him. 
They  were  very  angry.  "  We  must  kill  him  surely 
in  another  way,"  said  Kechowala. 

The  playground  was  far  from  the  sweat-house, 
and  when  Juiwaiyu  had  won  the  second  game  he' 
turned  to  go  back  to  the  sweat-house.  Kechowala 
sent  a  rattlesnake  to  meet  him  at  one  place  and  a 
grizzly  bear  at  another.  Juiwaiyu  jumped  on  the 
snake,  and  crushed  his  head.  When  he  came  to 
the  bear,  he  struck  him  one  blow  with  his  foot  and 
killed  him.  He  skinned  both,  took  the  skins,  and 
hung  them  up  before  the  sweat-house. 


442     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

When  Kechowala's  men  saw  the  skins,  they  were 
angry,  terribly  excited ;  they  stopped  before  the 
sweat-house,  jumped,  and  shouted,  — 

"  We  want  to  look  at  Juiwaiyu.  Let  Juiwaiyu 
come  out  here ;  we  want  to  see  him." 

Juiwaiyu  went  out.  All  the  brothers-in-law  from 
the  west  crowded  up  toward  him,  all  wanted  then 
to  kill  him.  He  had  no  arms  but  the  staff  given 
by  Jupka.  All  he  needed  was  to  point  that  at  any 
one  and  say,  "I  wish  you  dead;"  that  moment 
the  person  fell  dead.  No  one  could  come  near 
Juiwaiyu  when  running  or  hit  him,  and  before  they 
stopped  threatening  he  killed  half  of  Damhauja's 
sons-in-law.  The  others  ran  home  then,  killed  their 
own  wives  and  those  of  the  dead  men.  "  We  will 
have  nothing,"  said  they,  "  that  comes  from  Dam 
hauja's."  They  killed  all  the  children,  too  ;  none 
escaped  but  Darijua,  who  ran  over  to  the  sweat- 
house  and  told  of  the  killing. 

That  night  Jupka  made  a  great  storm,  and 
drowned  every  western  man  left  alive  by  Juiwaiyu. 
Next  morning  early  he  went  over,  struck  the  dead 
women  and  children  with  his  rose-twig,  brought  all 
except  the  men  to  life  again,  and  took  them  to 
Damhauja's. 

Juiwaiyu  had  brought  as  many  deer  that  morning 
as  he  had  the  first  one.  Damhauja  made  his  house 
stretch  out  and  grow  to  give  room  enough  for  all 
the  children.  They  cooked  venison  and  feasted, 
feasted  all  that  day  at  the  sweat-house. 

Next  morning  Juiwaiyu  went  home  with  his  two 
wives  and  his  uncle. 


THE    FLIGHT    OF   TSANUNEWA 
AND    DEFEAT    OF    HEHKU 


THE    FLIGHT    OF    TSANUNEWA    AND 
DEFEAT    OF    HEHKU 

PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  creature  or  thing  into  which 
the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Ahalamila,  gray  wolf  ;  Bohkuina,  silver-gray  fox  ;  Chichi,  fish  hawk  ; 
Demauna,  pine  marten  ;  Gagi,  crow  ;  Haka  Kaina,  flint  ;  Hehku, 
horned  serpent  ;  Jihkulu,  big  owl  ;  Jupka,  butterfly  of  the  wild  silk 
worm  ;  Kaitsiki,  ground  squirrel  ;  Kechowala,  bluejay  ;  Malewula, 
wolf;  Malwila,  meadow  lark;  Manjauchu,  gopher;  Mapchemaina,  the 
first  people  now  turned  into  birds,  beasts,  and  other  things  ;  Matauwila, 
beaver;  Matdasi,  spring  salmon;  Miniau  Marimi,  fire-drill  woman; 
Tillipka,  crane  ;  Periwiri  Yupa,  acorn  of  the  black  oak  ;  Petaina, 
skunk  ;  Topuna,  mountain  lion  ;  Tsanunewa,  elk  ;  Tsuwalkai,  red  flint  ; 
Putokya,  skull  people,  i.  e.  people  who  could  turn  themselves  into  a 

head- 


ALONG  time  ago,  when  Jupka  and  Bohkuina 
were  sitting  in  the  sweat-house  Jigulmatu, 
Jupka  called  to  him  people  of  the  Mapchemaina  ; 
he  called  Demauna,  Wirula,  Matauwila,  Topuna, 
Ahalamila,  Manjauchu,  Kechowala,  Malwila,  Gagi, 
and  many  others.  He  did  not  make  them  ;  he  just 
called,  and  they  came  from  different  parts  of  the  earth 
to  him.  He  gave  them  their  names  and  said,  — 

"  Hereafter  all  who  live  in  the  world  will  call  you 
as  I  do  now." 

One  side  of  Jigulmatu  was  filled  with  these  people 
called  up  by  Jupka. 

"  This  is  Jigulmatu,  my  small  sweat-house,"  said 
Jupka,  "  but  I  am  going  to  make  my  Igunna  "  (great 


446     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

house) ;  and  later  he  made  Wahkalu  (Mount  Shasta), 
made  it  to  be  his  great  house,  but  he  lived  at  Jigul- 
matu  till  he  made  the  Yana,  and  went  to  Jigulmatu 
often  afterward. 

At  this  time  Tsuwalkai  Marimi,  an  old  woman, 
had  reared  a  small  boy.  His  name  was  Tsanunewa. 
She  called  the  boy  grandson,  and  he  called  her  his 
grandmother.  He  was  an  orphan.  All  his  kindred 
were  dead  ;  all  had  been  killed  one  after  another, 
and  he  was  alone  when  the  old  woman  found  the 
boy  and  reared  him. 

"  I  want  to  go  west  and  catch  mice/'  said  Tsa 
nunewa  one  day  to  her. 

"  I  don't  want  you  to  go  away  from  the  house.  I 
don't  want  you  to  trap  mice  ;  you  might  go  astray ; 
you  might  get  killed,"  said  the  old  woman. 

Tsanunewa  began  to  cry.  He  cried  and  teased 
till  at  last  she  said :  "  Go,  if  you  wish,  but  be  care 
ful  ;  you  may  get  hurt.  The  traps  may  fall  on  you  ; 
something  may  kill  you." 

The  old  woman  made  acorn  bread  for  him,  and 
showed  him  how  to  set  rock  traps  and  other  traps, 
and  how  to  bait  them  with  acorns. 

"  Stay  around  the  house,"  said  she.  "  You  must 
not  go  near  that  rocky  mountain  off  there.  That  is 
a  bad  place,  a  very  bad  place ;  it  is  dangerous. 
You  must  not  go  to  it." 

The  boy  started,  went  some  distance  from  the 
house,  then  stood  still  and  looked  at  the  rocky 
mountain. 

" I  will  go  to  that  place,"  thought  he  ;  "I  will  go 
where  my  grandmother  told  me  not  to  go.  Why 


The  Flight  of  Tsanunewa  447 

is  she  afraid  ?  Why  did  she  tell  me  not  to  go  there  ? 
I  will  run  and  see." 

He  hurried  off  to  the  mountain,  went  up  on  the 
rocks,  looked  around  all  the  time  ;  he  remembered 
his  grandmother's  words,  and  said  to  himself, — 

"  I  should  like  to  know  who  is  here;  I  should  like 
to  know  what  frightens  my  grandmother." 

He  went  around  the  mountain,  saw  no  one, 
set  all  his  traps,  big  traps  and  little  ones ;  he 
stayed  there  till  near  sunset.  After  that  he  ran 
home. 

"  I  am  afraid  to  eat  to-night,"  said  he.  "  If  I  eat, 
perhaps  the  mice  will  not  like  the  acorns  in  my 
traps." 

"  You  must  not  eat,"  said  his  grandmother ;  "  I 
do  not  wish  you  to  eat  anything.  You  must  not 
touch  salmon  this  evening.  You  may  eat  a  little 
just  at  midnight.  Now  go  and  play  around  the 
house ;  all  the  mice  will  see  you ;  they  are  out  play 
ing  and  will  go  to  your  traps." 

Hehku  Marimi  lived  at  that  mountain.  She 
killed  all  the  people  who  went  there  to  trap.  It  was 
she  who  had  killed  Tsanunewa's  kindred. 

Next  morning  at  daybreak  Tsanunewa  went  to 
see  his  traps.  He  looked  at  the  first,  second,  third, 
fourth ;  he  had  not  caught  anything.  The  traps 
were  empty,  just  as  he  had  left  them.  He  found 
nothing  till  he  reached  the  last  one  ;  he  saw  that 
there  was  something  in  that  trap.  He  stood  and 
looked  at  it;  saw  Hehku  Marimi ;  she  was  there  in 
the  last  trap.  She  had  made  herself  small  and  gone 
in.  She  looked  ugly,  and  Tsanunewa  was  frightened. 


448     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

He  ran  home  as  fast  as  he  could  ;  he  was  pale,  and 
trembling. 

"  Why  are  you  frightened  ? "  asked  his  grand 
mother.  "  What  have  you  caught  ?  " 

"  I  have  caught  something.  I  don't  know  what 
it  is.  I  am  terribly  afraid  of  it." 

"  I  told  you  yesterday  not  to  go  to  that  moun 
tain.  I  knew  that  trouble  would  come  if  you  went 
there.  I  will  go  myself  and  see  what  you  have 
caught." 

Tsuwalkai  Marimi  was  ready  to  run  to  the 
mountain  and  look  at  the  trap.  She  wanted  to 
know  what  was  in  it. 

"  You,  my  grandson,  stay  here  at  home,"  said 
she  ;  "  perhaps  the  thing  that  you  have  caught  is 
not  dead  yet.  I  will  look  at  it." 

The  old  woman  started,  but  as  she  was  going  out 
she  said  :  "  Maybe  Hehku  is  in  your  trap.  If  she 
is,  she  will  get  out,  run  here  and  kill  us  both 
perhaps  ;  kill  you,  surely,  if  she  finds  you.  Save 
yourself,  my  grandson.  If  you  see  her  coming,  run 
west,  run  very  hard,  run  till  you  come  to  a  great 
river.  On  the  other  side  of  it  is  Mipka's  house  ; 
shout  to  him,  call  him  uncle,  tell  him  to  take  you 
over  ;  say  that  you  are  running  for  your  life,  that  he 
must  save  you." 

While  the  old  woman  was  talking,  she  looked 
and  saw  Hehku  far  off  at  the  mountain. 

"  My  grandson,"  cried  she,  "  Hehku  is  coming  ! 
She  will  kill  you.  Run !  I  will  stay  here  and 
stop  her  a  while." 

Tsanunewa  looked  and  saw  Hehku.     Then   he 


The  Flight  of  Tsanunewa  449 

ran  west ;  ran  till  he  reached  the  great  river.     He 
stopped  at  the  edge  of  it  and  shouted. 

Hehku  had  made  herself  small  the  night  before, 
and  gone  into  Tsanunewa's  trap  purposely.  The 
boy  thought  that  she  was  angry  because  he  had 
trapped  her.  She  wanted  him  to  think  so.  She 
went  into  the  trap  to  have  an  excuse  to  kill  him  as 
she  had  killed  all  his  kindred.  When  Tsanunewa 
ran  home  to  his  grandmother,  frightened  because  he 
had  seen  Hehku,  Hehku  went  out  of  the  trap, 
crushed  red  rottenstone,  painted  her  face,  made  it 
blood  color  She  had  a  big  cap  made  of  skulls, 
skulls  of  people  she  had  killed.  She  put  the  cap 
on  her  head  then,  and  started.  She  started,  ran 
quickly,  singing  as  she  went,  — 

"  I  am  following  Tsanunewa  ;   I  am  on  his  track. 
I  am  following  Tsanunewa  ;   I  am  on  his  track.'* 

She  sang  till  she  came  to  the  door.  There  she 
stopped,  said  "  Whu  !  "  and  drew  a  long  breath. 

"  Tell  me,  old  woman,"  cried  she,  "  tell  me 
where  Tsanunewa  is  ;  I  have  come  to  this  house 
on  his  track." 

"  I  have  not  seen  that  boy,"  said  Tsuwalkai 
Marimi.  "  I  do  not  know  where  he  is.  I  am 
alone,  all  my  people  are  dead  ;  you  killed  them." 

"  I  will  not  hurt  you,"  said  Hehku;  "  I  will  not 
touch  you,  but  tell  me  where  the  boy  is  ;  tell  me 
which  way  he  went.  He  went  west,  I  think.  I 
will  follow  till  I  catch  him." 

She  started  and  ran  very  fast ;  raised  a  great  wind 
as  she  went.  She  ran  with  her  hands  clasped  be 
hind  her,  and  sang,  — 

29 


450     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"I  am  following  Tsanunewa;  I  am  on  his  track. 
I  am  following  Tsanunewa  ;  I  am  on  his  track." 

The  boy  ran  swiftly,  ran  with  all  his  strength ; 
was  at  the  great  river  first.  Mipka  was  at  the 
other  side. 

"  Save  me,  my  uncle  !  "  cried  Tsanunewa  ;  "  put 
your  leg  over  the  water,  put  it  over  quickly. 
Hehku  is  hunting  me.  I  am  running  for  my  life. 
Save  me,  my  uncle,  save  me  !  " 

Mipka  came  out,  saw  the  boy  on  the  opposite 
bank,  stretched  his  leg  over  the  water ;  the  boy  ran 
across  on  it.  Hehku  came  to  the  river  just  after 
Tsanunewa  had  run  into  the  house,  and  Mipka 
had  drawn  his  leg  back  again.  Inside  was  a  large 
log  with  a  small  hole  in  the  heart  of  it.  Tsanunewa 
crept  into  that  hole  and  hid  quickly. 

"  Hehku  will  not  find  me  here/*  thought  he. 
But  Hehku  saw  him  from  the  other  bank,  knew 
where  he  was  hidden. 

The  old  man  hurried  after  Tsanunewa.  Hehku 
reached  the  river  when  Mipka  stepped  across  the 
door. 

"Old  man,"  cried  she,  "put  your  leg  over  the 
water.  Let  me  cross.  Put  your  leg  over  the 
water  !  " 

Mipka  stood  inside  the  door;  seemed  not  to 
hear. 

"  Put  your  leg  over  the  water  !  "  cried  Hehku. 

"  Creep  out  and  run  west  for  your  life,"  said 
Mipka  to  Tsanunewa.  "  Run  ;  I  will  stop  Hehku  ; 
I  will  keep  her  here  for  a  while.  Run  to  Matau- 
wila's  ;  he  may  be  able  to  save  you." 


The  Flight  of  Tsanunewa  45 1 

Tsanunewa  crept  out  through  the  western  end 
of  the  sweat-house  and  ran. 

"  Old  man,  put  your  leg  over  the  river.  Let  me 
cross  on  it !  "  cried  Hehku.  She  was  very  angry 
now,  but  Mipka  refused  for  a  long  time. 

At  last  he  stretched  his  leg  from  inside  the  door 
to  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river.  He  did  this 
hoping  that  Hehku  would  run  in  on  his  leg,  be 
speared  in  the  doorway  and  die  there.  Mipka  had 
long  and  very  sharp  spears  fixed  in  above  the  door 
way  to  kill  people  whom  he  hated. 

But  Hehku  jumped  off  his  leg  at  the  river  side. 
She  would  not  go  in  at  the  door ;  she  climbed  to 
the  roof  of  the  sweat-house. 

"  Old  man,  give  me  Tsanunewa.  I  saw  him 
run  into  your  house.  Old  man,  give  me  Tsanunewa 
or  tell  me  where  he  is." 

"  I  cannot  tell  where  he  is.  He  is  not  in  my 
house,"  said  Mipka. 

"  Tell  me,  old  man,  where  that  boy  is,  or  I  will 
kill  you.  I  do  not  want  to  go  into  your  house, 
but  if  I  go  in  I  will  kill  you.  Only  tell  me  where 
Tsanunewa  is.  If  you  hide  that  boy  I  will  kill 
you." 

"  If  you  think  Tsanunewa  is  here,  come  down, 
come  in,  look  through  my  house,"  said  Mipka. 

Sharp  spears  were  pointing  upward  toward  this 
door  in  the  roof  of  the  sweat-house.  Hehku  was 
very  angry ;  she  slipped  down  in  a  hurry.  The 
spear-points  went  into  her  body  and  killed  her. 
She  fell  dead  on  the  floor  of  the  sweat-house.  She 
lay  a  while  dead  there ;  then  came  to  life  and 


452     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

*'  •      • 
stood  up  again.     She  caught  Mipka  right  away,  and 

they  fought,  fought  a  long  time,  fought  till  she 
swallowed  him  down  at  one  mouthful. 

While  Hehku  and  Mipka  were  fighting  a  long 
battle  in  the  sweat-house,  Tsanunewa  had  run  far 
away  toward  the  west.  He  was  now  in  sight  of 
Matauwila's  sweat-house.  When  he  was  near 
enough  to  call,  he  shouted,  — 

"  Grandfather,  I  am  running  for  my  life  ;  save 
me!" 

Matauwila  ran  out  and  helped  the  boy  into  the 
sweat-house. 

"  Grandfather,  I  want  you  to  set  traps  in  this 
house,  set  traps  all  around  in  it.  Hehku  is  hunt 
ing  me  ;  she  will  kill  me  if  she  catches  me." 

Matauwila  made  four  rows  of  double  traps  in  the 
house. 

"  I  will  catch  Hehku,"  said  Matauwila, "  but  you 
would  better  run  west ;  run  till  you  come  to  the 
house  of  the  Chichi  brothers." 

The  boy  ran  away  to  the  west.  He  was  hardly 
out  of  sight  when  Hehku  came.  She  made  a  great 
wind  as  she  ran  to  the  house. 

"Old  man,"  cried  she,  "where  is  Tsanunewa  ? 
Tell  me  where  that  boy  is.  I  have  tracked  him  to 
your  house.  Tell  me  where  he  is,  or  I  will  kill 
you." 

"  Come  in,"  said  Matauwila ;  "  but  you  will  not 
find  the  boy  here.  Come  in.  Sit  down  in  my 
house,  look  all  over  it.  Come  in,  but  you  '11  not 
find  the  boy.  Come  in." 

The  central  pillar  of  Matauwila's  house  was  large 


The  Flight  of  Tsanunewa  453 

and  very  smooth.  Hehku  could  not  hold  to  it,  but 
fell  down  and  dropped  into  the  first  trap.  She 
broke  right  through  that,  and  went  through  the 
three  other  lines  of  double  traps. 

When  Hehku  burst  through  the  traps,  her  body 
was  flashing  red  fire  from  every  part  of  it,  she 
was  so  angry.  This  fire  from  her  body  killed 
Matauwila. 

Hehku  ran  after  the  boy  again ;  ran  with  her 
hands  clasped  behind  her.  She  ran  that  way  always, 
and  sang  as  she  ran,  — 

"  I  am  following  Tsanunewa  ;  I  am  on  his  track. 
I  am  following  Tsanunewa  ;   I  am  on  his  track." 

The  boy  rushed  to  the  house  of  the  Chichi. 
There  were  two  brothers  of  them. 

The  Chichis  had  two  smooth  rocks  which  looked 
like  ice,  but  were  more  slippery  than  any  ice  (rock 
crystals).  One  of  these  was  at  the  eastern  door,  the 
other  at  the  opening  on  the  roof. 

"  Grandfathers,  save  me  !  "  cried  Tsanunewa, 
running  up  to  the  door  of  the  house.  <c  Grand 
fathers,  save  me  !  "  cried  he,  running  in. 

Hehku  was  close  behind  now ;  she  had  almost 
caught  him.  When  she  reached  the  door,  she 
stepped  on  the  crystal  rock,  slipped,  and  fell.  One 
Chichi  closed  the  door  in  her  face  then.  She 
sprang  up,  climbed  the  side  of  the  house,  went  to 
the  door  in  the  roof,  stepped  on  the  second  crystal 
in  front  of  that  door,  slipped,  and  fell  headlong ; 
fell  into  the  sweat-house.  She  sprang  up,  caught 
one  Chichi,  fought  with  him.  His  brother  helped 
that  one.  The  two  fought  a  long  time  against 


454     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Hehku  till  she  caught  each  by  the  arm,  held  them 
both  with  one  hand,  and  pounded  them  with  the 
crystal  from  the  lower  door  which  she  held  in  her 
other  hand.  At  last  she  said,  "Whu!"  and 
swallowed  both  at  one  mouthful.  While  she  was 
fighting  with  the  Chichi  brothers,  Tsanunewa  ran 
on,  ran  to  the  west.  Hehku  was  tired  now. 

"  I  cannot  run  farther,"  said  she.  She  went  to 
the  housetop  and  cried,  "  I  wish  this  house  to 
stretch  out  after  that  boy  and  catch  him." 

She  sat  on  the  housetop,  and  the  house  stretched 
out  westward  stretched  more  quickly  than  any  one 
could  run,  and  carried  her  after  Tsanunewa.  The 
boy  had  run  very  far ;  he  was  near  Jupka's  house 
now. 

"  Uncle  !  "  cried  he,  "  I  want  to  come  in  quickly. 
I  am  almost  dead.  Hehku  is  chasing  me.  Hide 
me,  my  uncle,  hide  me.  Save  me,  my  uncle,  save 
me,  or  Hehku  will  kill  me." 

"  Why  are  you  frightened  ?  "  asked  Jupka.  "  I 
should  like  to  see  the  person  who  is  chasing  you. 
I  should  like  to  see  any  one  dare  to  hurt  you. 
Come  in,  my  nephew,  come  in." 

cc  Carry  me,  uncle.  I  am  too  tired  to  walk  alone. 
Carry  me.  Hehku  is  hunting  me  ;  she  has  almost 
caught  up  with  me." 

Jupka  took  the  boy,  carried  him  in.  The  sweat- 
house  was  full  of  Mapchemaina  people,  all  those 
people  called  in  by  Jupka. 

Hehku  jumped  off  the  house  of  the  Chichi 
brothers,  which  had  brought  her  almost  to  Jigul- 
matu.  She  was  rested. 


The  Flight  of  Tsanunewa  455 

"  Go  back  now  to  your  own  place/'  said  she 
to  the  house ;  and  it  shrank  back  to  its  own. 
place. 

"  Tell  me,  old  man/'  said  she  to  Jupka,  "  tell  me 
where  Tsanunewa  is.  I  saw  him  go  into  your 
sweat-house.  I  want  him." 

"  Come  in,"  said  Jupka.  "  Come  if  you  like. 
Why  are  you  hunting  that  boy  ?  What  do  you 
want  of  him  ?  " 

"  Do  not  speak  in  that  way  to  me,"  said  Hehku. 
"  Tell  where  the  boy  is." 

"  Come  in,  I  will  give  you  a  husband,"  said 
Jupka.  "  I  will  give  you  a  husband ;  let  the  boy 
go.  Take  Demauna." 

Hehku  shook  her  head. 

"  Well,  I  will  give  you  Wirula  for  husband  ;  let 
the  boy  go." 

Hehku  shook  her  head  a  second  time. 

He  offered  every  one  in  the  house  except  him 
self.  She  refused  one,  then  another  and  another; 
refused  all. 

"Tell  me  where  that  boy  is,"  said  she.  "  I  want 
him  ;  I  want  no  one  else.  I  want  nothing  more 
from  you.  Just  tell  me  where  that  boy  is.  I  want 
none  of  your  people ;  the  only  one  I  want  is 
Tsanunewa." 

Jupka  had  put  the  boy  under  his  own  hair,  under 
the  hair  at  the  back  of  his  head,  and  kept  him  hid 
den  there. 

"  I  must  know  what  you  are  going  to  do  with 
that  boy,"  said  Jupka  to  Hehku  Marimi.  "  I  am 
not  willing  to  give  him  to  you ;  he  is  too  small  to 


456     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

be  your  husband.  I  want  to  keep  him  here  in  my 
sweat-house." 

After  that  he  went  aside  and  said  to  Tsanunewa, 
"If  you  like  this  woman,  I  will  let  you  go  with  her ; 
if  you  do  not  wish  to  go,  I  will  keep  you." 

"  I  will  not  go  with  her ;  she  would  kill  me  on 
the  road.  She  wants  to  kill  me ;  that 's  why  she  is 
hunting  me,  that 's  why  she  came  here." 

"Bring  out  that  boy!"  cried  Hehku  ;  "I  want 
to  see  him.  I  want  to  go  home ;  I  want  to  take 
him  home  with  me." 

"  This  is  a  bad  woman.  I  have  heard  much  of 
her.  Give  her  the  boy,  put  him  down ;  let  us 
see  what  she  will  do  with  him,"  said  each  of  those 
present. 

But  Jupka  kept  Tsanunewa  hidden,  would  not 
give  him  up. 

"  I  know  that  woman,"  repeated  each  of  the 
Mapchemaina :  "  she  is  bad.  When  she  is  angry, 
fire  flashes  from  her  body.  She  kills  every  one. 
You  would  better  let  the  boy  go  and  save  us." 

"  Spread  robes  out,"  said  Jupka.  "  Let  her  come 
in  here ;  let  her  sit  down.  We  will  hear  what  she 
says." 

Jupka  rubbed  the  boy's  face  and  body,  made  him 
smooth,  and  from  being  small  he  was  large,  full- 
grown,  and  very  beautiful.  Jupka  seated  him  on 
the  robe.  Every  one  could  see  him. 

Hehku  came  in  and  sat  on  the  robe.  When  she 
took  her  place,  fire  flashed  from  her  through  the 
whole  sweat-house.  She  took  off  her  cap  made  of 
skulls  and  put  it  at  her  side. 


The  Flight  of  Tsanunewa  457 

The  people  looked  down.  All  were  afraid  except 
Jupka.  They  thought  she  would  kill  them  right 
there  in  a  moment.  When  Jupka  saw  the  fire,  he 
took  tobacco  from  a  small  pouch  which  he  kept  in 
his  ear,  and  while  lying  stretched  out  he  began  to 
smoke  without  putting  fire  on  his  pipe.  The  to 
bacco  burned  when  he  drew  his  breath  through  it. 
The  smoke  rose  and  then  settled  down.  It  grew 
dark  in  the  sweat-house,  and  the  fire  from  Hehku's 
body  died  away.  She  stopped  her  mouth  and  nose 
so  as  not  to  breathe  Jupka's  smoke. 

"  Go  to  sleep,"  said  Jupka  to  Hehku  Marimi. 

She  would  not  obey.  She  kept  her  mouth  and 
nose  closed,  sat  awake  and  would  not  sleep. 

"  Lie  down  ;  let  us  talk,"  said  Tsanunewa.  He 
thought,  "If  she  lies  down  the  smoke  will  kill  her." 

"  I  will  not  lie  down,"  said  Hehku. 

"  Why  not  ?     Lie  down.     We  will  talk  together." 

"  I  never  sleep,"  said  Hehku.  "  I  am  Mapche- 
maina.  I  never  sleep  at  night,  I  never  sleep  in 
the  day.  I  do  as  my  father  does  ;  he  hunts  at  night 
and  hunts  during  daylight." 

Jupka  filled  his  pipe  again  with  another  tobacco 
which  he  kept  in  his  ear,  and  again  he  puffed  smoke 
which  was  very  strong,  the  strongest  smoke  of  all. 
"  This  will  do,"  said  he,  "this  will  make  her  sleep, 
I  think." 

The  smoke  rose  first,  then  came  down  and  settled 
like  a  thick  cloud  right  on  Hehku's  head. 

"  Why  this  woman  tries  to  trick  me  ?  "  thought 
Jupka;  "  I  know  more  than  she  does." 

When   this  strong  smoke  settled  down,  Hehku 


45 8     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

began  to  nod ;  her  head  went  first  to  one  side,  then 
to  the  other ;  soon  it  turned  backward  little  by  little. 
Jupka  took  a  large  roll  of  gray  wolfskins,  slipped  it 
behind  her,  and  she  dropped  on  it  sound  asleep ; 
lay  as  though  lifeless. 

["  We  have  never  seen  this  tobacco  here,"  said 
the  narrator  of  the  story.  "It  was  turned  to  rock 
long  ago ;  this  was  done  far  in  the  East,  way  off 
where  the  sun  rises.  The  rock  is  there  now,  and  it 
is  called  Talpapa  —  white  tobacco  rock.  This  is 
Mapchemaina  tobacco/'  The  first  tobacco  Jupka 
used  was  moiyu,  the  Yana  tobacco  that  we  have  in 
our  time.] 

"  If  Hehku  dreams,  she  will  beat  me  when  she 
wakes,  if  she  is  wise ;  but  I  will  not  let  her  dream/' 
said  Jupka.  He  blew  his  breath  on  her  face;  she 
could  not  dream  after  that. 

Hehku  used  to  dream  bad  things  which  came  to 
pass  later  on.  She  used  to  dream  of  killing  people, 
but  after  Jupka  blew  his  breath  on  her  face  she 
could  not  dream  in  his  sweat-house.  Next  day, 
when  she  woke,  she  was  very  angry  at  Jupka.  She 
stood  up,  walked  out  of  the  sweat-house,  went  to 
the  east ;  went  quickly,  went  to  that  same  rocky 
mountain  where  Tsanunewa  had  set  his  mouse 
traps. 

"  Make  a  good  fire  and  sweat,"  said  Jupka  to  the 
Mapchemaina. 

All  sweated  and  bathed  in  the  river,  and  that  day 
Hehku  became  a  Putokya,  a  skull  person.  She  stayed 
one  night  at  the  rocky  mountain ;  dreamed  of  gam 
bling  with  Jupka  and  all  the  people  at  Jigulmatu. 


The  Flight  of  Tsanunewa  459 

Hehku  had  a  sister,  Miniau  Marimi.  She  took 
this  sister  as  a  companion.  Both  started,  went  to 
gether,  and  never  stopped  till  they  reached  Oaimatu, 
a  great  hollow  mountain  northeast  of  Jigulmatu. 
Hehku  brought  a  pipe  with  her,  and  made  tobacco 
of  dried  brains.  "  My  smoke  will  be  stronger  than 
Jupka's,"  thought  Hehku.  She  spent  one  night  in 
the  hollow  mountain,  and  dreamed  again  of  gambling 
in  Jupka's  sweat-house.  She  rose  early,  and  was  in 
Jigulmatu  at  daylight.  She  stood  with  Miniau 
Marimi  on  the  roof  of  the  sweat-house,  and  sang  to 
herself,  — 

"  I  shall  win,  I  shall  win,  I  shall  win  surely." 

<c  Jupka,  I  wish  to  go  into  your  sweat-house,"  said 
she.  "  When  I  go  in,  you  will  like  me,  you  will 
like  to  see  me.  I  am  nice  to  look  at." 

She  changed ;  made  herself  very  beautiful  then. 
No  one  could  know  her ;  no  one  could  know 
that  that  woman  was  the  Hehku  who  had  hunted 
Tsanunewa. 

At  sunrise  all  the  people  in  Jupka's  sweat-house 
heard  steps  above,  heard  walking  on  the  sweat- 
house.  The  two  women  were  there.  Hehku  came 
to  the  roof-door  and  said,  — 

"  Jupka,  put  away  your  things  ;  clear  your  house. 
I  want  to  come  down  and  gamble  with  you.  I 
dreamed  last  night  that  I  played  with  you." 

Jupka  was  lying  with  his  head  to  the  north.  He 
made  no  answer.  Hehku  went  down. 

"  Sit  on  the  west  side,"  said  Jupka  to  the  two 
sisters ;  and  he  told  Malewula  to  spread  out  two 
robes,  one  of  cinnamon,  the  other  of  black  bearskin. 


460     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

All  the  people  held  down  their  heads.  None  looked 
at  the  women  except  Malewula. 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  give  these  women  something 
to  eat,'*  said  Malewula,  "  but  I  don't  know  what 
they  like  ;  let  us  offer  them  venison." 

He  roasted  venison,  put  it  before  them  in  a 
basket ;  they  would  n't  eat  it,  would  n't  taste  or 
touch  it.  Then  he  brought  dried  salmon  in  small 
pieces  ;  the  women  turned  away  their  faces.  Next 
he  put  salmon  flour  and  mountain-pine  nuts  before 
them  ;  they  would  n't  eat,  turned  aside  their  faces. 

"  Take  this  food  away,"  said  Hehku  ;  "we  don't 
wish  to  eat.  I  came  here  to  see  people,  I  came 
here  to  gamble." 

The  Mapchemaina  said  nothing  for  a  long  time. 
At  last  Kaitsiki  spoke  up. 

"  I  do  not  know  how  to  gamble,  I  cannot  play," 
said  he. 

"  I  do  not  like  to  hear  you  talk  so.  I  know 
you,"  said  Hehku.  "  I  know  that  you  gamble  a 
great  deal.  I  know  that  you  began  to  gamble  long 
ago." 

Kaitsiki  made  no  answer.  He  went  to  get  gam 
bling-sticks  (counters).  He  brought  grass  and  fixed 
everything  for  the  play.  They  sat  down,  Hehku 
on  the  west,  Kaitsiki  on  the  east. 

"  What  will  you  play  for,  what  will  you  bet  ?  " 
asked  the  woman. 

Kaitsiki  took  his  shell  necklace,  hung  it  up,  and 
said,  "  I  will  begin  with  this." 

Hehku  handled  the  Jupaiauna ;  it  was  hers,  and 
made  of  a  finger-bone.  Kaitsiki  guessed  "  north  " 


The  Flight  of  Tsanunewa  461 

the  first  time,  and  lost ;  after  that  he  guessed  north 
once  and  south  once,  lost  both  times ;  after  that  he 
lost  his  ten  sticks. 

"  Take  the  necklace  and  hang  it  on  our  side," 
said  Hehku  to  Miniau. 

When  Hehku  put  her  hands  out,  she  held  them 
together  in  front  before  opening  them,  and  sang 
"  Wahau  Putokya  jinda  Marimi "  (You  will  not 
win  against  Putokya  Marimi) ;  and  the  bone  went 
to  the  side  opposite  the  one  guessed.  The  singing 
made  it  go.  When  Kaitsiki  guessed  "  north,"  if  the 
bone  was  in  Hehku's  right  hand,  the  south  side,  it 
stayed  there ;  if  it  was  in  her  left  hand,  the  north 
side,  it  went  to  her  right.  In  this  way  no  one  could 
ever  win  against  Hehku. 

"  Play  again,"  said  Hehku. 

Kaitsiki  bet  and  lost.  He  lost  one  thing  after 
another  till  he  bet  his  last,  a  belt  of  red-headed 
woodpecker  scalps.  It  was  very  beautiful.  Hehku 
was  glad. 

"  This  is  the  bet,"  said  she,  "  that  Perriwiri  Yupa 
always  makes.  He  bets  a  girdle  like  this  when  I 
play  with  him." 

"  I  will  guess  south  all  the  time  now,"  said  Kait 
siki.  He  lost  five  times,  then  changed  his  mind, 
guessed  north. 

All  the  Mapchemainas  looked  on,  watched  the 
play,  but  said  nothing.  They  knew  what  was  com 
ing  ;  knew  that  Kaitsiki  would  lose.  He  guessed 
north  five  times  ;  lost  his  girdle. 

"  I  have  nothing  more  to  bet ;  you  have  won 
all  I  had,"  said  Kaitsiki. 


462     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  Bet  yourself,"  said  Hehku.  "  I  will  bet  all  I 
have  won  from  you." 

Kaitsiki  bet  himself.  He  guessed  south  first,  and 
lost. 

"  Oh,  if  I  had  only  bet  north  !  "  said  he.  Next 
time  he  bet  north,  and  lost. 

"  Oh,  if  I  had  said  south  !  " 

He  went  on  in  this  way  till  he  lost  his  ten  coun 
ters  and  himself. 

Hehku  threw  the  finger-bone  on  the  ground  ;  the 
earth  shook;  there  was  a  noise  like  thunder.  The 
bone  flew  up,  struck  Kaitsiki,  killed  him.  Miniau 
Marimi  threw  him  out  through  the  roof  to  the 
north  of  the  sweat-house. 

"  I  will  play  now,"  said  Ahalamila,  sitting  down 
in  the  place  left  by  Kaitsiki.  He  guessed,  lost, 
guessed  on  and  played  till  he  lost  everything ;  bet 
himself,  lost,  was  killed  and  thrown  north  of  the 
sweat-house.  Petaina  played  next,  lost  everything, 
was  killed  and  thrown  out.  All  in  the  sweat-house 
except  Jupka  played  and  lost,  one  after  another, 
first  all  they  had  and  then  themselves.  After  Pe 
taina  came  Matdasi,  Tsurewa,  Jihkulu,  and  then 
Tsanunewa,  who  remained  at  Jigulmatu. 

Hehku  danced  with  delight  when  Tsanunewa  lost. 
She  threw  him  out  of  the  sweat-house  herself,  then 
played  with  others  till  none  were  left  except  Jupka. 

Jupka  rose  up  then  and  said :  "  Now  we  will 
try.  I  will  guess  once ;  that  will  finish  the  play  and 
settle  all." 

"  I  am  willing,"  said  Hehku. 

Jupka  brought  a  blue  stone  and  sat  on  it.     He 


The  Flight  of  Tsanunewa  463 

had  a  walking-stick  made  of  the  heart  of  sugar-pine ; 
this  he  put  at  his  side. 

Hehku  arranged  the  bone,  put  it  in  her  left  hand, 
and  Jupka  said  "  lililim  "  (let  it  be  north)  but  said 
the  word  in  such  a  way  that  another  would  think  he 
said  "ililim,"  and  Hehku  thought  so,  too  ;  the  bone 
remained  in  her  left  hand.  She  brought  both  hands 
from  behind  her  back,  opened  them,  and  was  going 
to  throw  the  bone  to  kill  Jupka. 

"  Stop  !     What  did  I  say  ?  "  asked  Jupka. 

"  Ililim." 

"  No,  I  said  c  lililim  ; '  look  north  and  see." 

Hehku  looked  north  and  saw  Wahkalu  (Mount 
Shasta),  Jupka's  Igunna,  his  great  new  house 
which  he  made  by  saying  "  lililim."  Wahkalu  was 
white,  shining.  Hehku  had  never  seen  anything 
so  beautiful,  so  great.  She  had  never  seen  it  before, 
neither  had  any  one  else. 

The  bone  was  there  in  her  open  left  hand  on  the 
north  side,  she  could  not  deny.  She  could  not 
change  her  play,  she  could  not  help  herself.  Jupka 
seized  the  bone,  threw  it  to  the  floor.  The  earth 
trembled  ;  there  was  a  roar  like  thunder ;  the  bone 
bounded  up  and  killed  Hehku.  Jupka  threw  her 
out  of  the  sweat-house. 

"You  must  play  too,"  said  Jupka  to  Miniau 
Marimi. 

He  put  the  bone  behind  his  back;  she  guessed, 
lost  her  life,  and  was  thrown  out  of  the  sweat-house. 

Jupka  walked  away  southward,  went  to  the  creek, 
washed  and  swam.  When  he  came  out  of  the  water, 
he  grew  very  beautiful  and  large.  He  took  then 


464     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

the  stem  of  a  wild  rose-bush  and  went  home  ;  he 
went  to  the  north  side  of  the  sweat-house.  There 
he  found  the  bodies  of  the  Mapchemainas  who  had 
played  with  Hehku  and  lost.  He  gave  each  a  blow 
of  the  rose-bush,  and  all  came  to  life  ;  all  went  to 
the  sweat-house,  not  one  was  missing. 

At  dawn  the  dead  Hehku  began  to  move  and 
sing.  At  clear  daylight  she  stood  up,  struck 
Miniau  with  her  right  foot.  That  moment  she 
rose  up  alive.  The  two  women  started  for  the 
rocky  mountain.  Hehku  was  raging.  She  was 
terribly  angry  because  Jupka  had  beaten  her. 

"  I  had  all,"  said  she,  "  but  Jupka  fooled  me  ; 
now  I  have  nothing." 

She  grew  so  angry  that  she  turned  into  a  great 
head  and  bounded  off  to  the  east.  She  went  a 
whole  mile  every  jump  she  made.  She  screamed 
with  rage  and  shouted  as  she  went,  and  her  sister 
Miniau  (the  fire-drill)  kept  pace  with  her. 

Haka  Kaina  heard  the  noise  and  said,  cc  I  wonder 
what  troubles  Putokya  to-day." 


THE     FIRST    BATTLE     IN    THE 

WORLD    AND    THE    MAKING 

OF   THE    YANA 


THE   FIRST    BATTLE    IN  THE  WORLD 
AND  THE   MAKING  OF  THE  YANA 

PERSONAGES 

After  each  name  is  given  that  of  the  creature  or  thing  into  which 
the  personage  was  changed  subsequently. 

Ahalamila,  gray  wolf;  Bohkuina,  silver-gray  fox  ;  Chichepa,  spotted 
hawk ;  Chuhna,  spider ;  Hehku,  horned  serpent ;  Hitchinna,  wildcat ; 
Howichinaipa,  a  small  bird;  Hurskiyupa,  orphan;  Jewina,  reddish 
chicken  hawk;  Jihkulu,  large  owl;  Jupka,  butterfly  of  wild  silkworm; 
Kaitsiki,  ground  squirrel;  Kaltsauna,  swift  (kind  of  lizard);  Kecho- 
wala,  bluejay ;  Lawalila,  large  hawk  ;  Maibyu,  dove;  Malewula,  wolf ; 
Mapchemaina,  first  people;  Pakalai  Jawichi,  water  lizard;  Petaina, 
skunk;  Popila,  duck;  Topuna,  mountain  lion;  Tsanunewa,  a  little 
bird  ;  Tuina,  the  sun  ;  Wihlaina,  chipmunk. 


AFTER  Hehku  had  risen  from  the  dead  and 
gone  home,  Jupka  said  to  all  the  Mapche 
maina  :  "  Sweat  now  and  swim.  You  will  go  to 
hunt  to-morrow  early." 

The  Mapchemaina  went  to  hunt  on  the  following 
day,  but  could  not  kill  deer.  They  had  no  good 
arrow-points.  The  points  which  they  had  were 
made  of  common  stone.  When  they  went  back  to 
Jigulmatu  in  the  evening  without  venison,  Jupka 
said,  — 

"  There  is  an  old  man  in  the  south  who  kills  a 
great  many  deer;  his  name  is  Kaltsauna.  I  must 
bring  him  up  here  to  show  you  how  he  kills  them. 
I  will  send  some  one  south  for  him.  Maibyu,  you 
go  for  that  old  man ;  you  travel  very  quickly." 


468      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

"  I  don't  know  where  his  house  is ;  I  cannot 
find  him,"  said  Maibyu.  "  You  would  better  send 
some  one  else." 

"  Lawalila,  you  go,"  said  Jupka. 

Lawalila  dressed  himself  nicely  ;  took  his  bow, 
quiver,  and  arrows,  and  went.  He  went  as  quickly 
as  though  it  were  only  one  long  step  to  Kaltsauna's 
house.  Kaltsauna  was  sitting  inside  the  door  with 
his  legs  crossed.  He  was  making  flint  arrow- 
points. 

Lawalila  stepped  in  at  once  and  surprised  old 
Kaltsauna.  He  had  a  flint  knife  at  his  side,  and 
made  a  thrust  at  Lawalila  as  if  to  kill  him. 

"  Stop.      It  is  I,  uncle  ;  you  must  not  kill  me." 

"  Why  do  you  call  me  uncle  ? "  asked  Kaltsauna, 
hiding  his  arrow-points  quickly. 

"  I  have  come  for  you,  uncle.  The  chief  sent  me 
here.  Jupka  invites  you  to  come  to  Jigulmatu. 
He  wants  you  to  come  to  his  house.  He  wants  to 
see  you.  We  cannot  kill  deer  with  stone  arrow- 
points.  We  have  no  other  kind.  The  chief  knows 
that  you  kill  deer  all  the  time.  He  wants  you  to 
come  to  his  place  and  show  his  people  how  you  kill 
deer." 

Kaltsauna  rubbed  his  hands,  rubbed  them  clean, 
rubbed  all  the  flint  dust  from  them,  and  rolled  up 
his  flints  in  a  skin  very  carefully.  Next  he  mixed 
flint  dust,  rubbed  it  on  his  face,  made  paint,  covered 
his  face  with  it,  and  thrust  a  piece  of  sharp  flint 
through  the  septum  of  his  nose.  He  looked  very 
threatening  and  strong  when  he  was  dressed  and 
armed  for  the  road. 


The  First  Battle  in  the  World         469 

"  I  am  ready ;  you  go  ahead ;  I  will  come  later," 
said  he  to  Lawalila. 

Kaltsauna's  quiver  was  a  grizzly  bearskin  ;  his 
bows  and  arrows  were  made  of  black  oak.  He  put 
his  flints  under  his  left  arm,  took  his  bow  and  arrows 
in  his  right  hand. 

"  Go  on ;  go  ahead.  I  will  come  later ;  I  will 
come  by  myself.  Go  now  and  tell  the  chief  to  make 
a  great  fire  of  manzanita  wood." 

Lawalila  went  ahead,  and  gave  Kaltsauna's  mes 
sage  to  Jupka.  The  chief  had  the  fire  made,  —  a 
great  fire  of  manzanita  wood.  "  He  is  coming,  he 
is  coming,"  said  the  people,  when  they  saw  Kalt- 
sauna  in  the  distance.  When  he  was  near,  they 
did  n't  try  to  look  at  him,  they  hung  their  heads, 

"  Make  way  for  me,  make  way  !  I  '11  strike 
unless  you  give  me  room  !  "  said  Kaltsauna,  as  he 
came  near  the  crowd  of  people. 

"  The  old  man  always  talks  like  that,"  said 
Jupka  ;  "  he  is  very  strong.  That 's  why  he  is  so 
bold  ;  that 's  why  he  talks  so." 

"  Spread  out  a  skin,"  said  Kaltsauna  to  Jupka. 

The  skin  was  spread,  and  Kaltsauna  emptied  his 
robe  full  of  arrow-points  on  it.  He  sat  down  then 
and  said, — 

"  I  will  divide  these  and  put  them  in  different 
places." 

He  gathered  each  kind  of  flint  into  a  heap  by  it 
self,  then  pushed  it,  and  said  while  he  pushed, 
"  You  go  to  this  place  or  to  that  place." 

White  flint  he  pushed  and  said,  "  Go  you,  to 
Hakamatu." 


47°     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

The  white  flint  went  away  ;  disappeared  from  the 
robe ;  went  to  Hakamatu,  and  there  is  plenty  of 
white  flint  in  that  place  to-day. 

Blue  flint  he  sent  east  to  the  edge  of  our  Yana 
country.  Yellow  flint  he  fixed  at  Iwiljami.  To  the 
west  he  sent  flint  with  fine  black,  blue,  and  white 
stripes  ;  he  sent  it  to  Hakachimatu.  Green  flint  he 
put  in  Jigulmatu  and  said,  — 

"You  will  find  these  flints  always  in  the  places 
where  I  put  them  to-day,  and  people  who  come  after 
you  will  find  them  there.  There  will  be  flint  in 
those  places  forever,  as  long  as  people  want  it." 

Besides  flint  Kaltsauna  gave  each  of  the  Mapche- 
maina  a  wedge  made  of  deer-horn,  and  a  piece  of 
stone  ;  showed  them  how  to  dress  the  flint  and  make 
arrow-points.  The  first  arrow-points  on  earth  were 
those  which  Kaltsauna  made. 

Next  morning,  after  he  had  given  the  flint  and 
shown  the  Mapchemaina  how  to  make  arrow- 
points,  Kaltsauna  went  home.  On  the  second  day 
Jupka  called  all  the  Mapchemaina  together  and 
said,  — 

"  Get  your  arrow-points  ready ;  sweat  to-night ; 
swim  early  in  the  morning,  and  go  out  on  a  great 
hunt  to-morrow." 

They  did  all  that  Jupka  commanded,  and  went 
on  the  following  morning  toward  Jidjilpa.  They 
went  west  along  Jidjilpa,  went  on  both  sides  of  it ; 
went  west  toward  Tahaujwakaina,  which  is  in  the 
canon  beyond  Hakamatu.  They  went  to  the  rock 
and  went  beyond  it. 

Some  distance  west  of  the  rock  a  grizzly  bear  ran 


The  First  Battle  in  the  World         471 

out  of  a  clump  of  live-oak  brush.  Among  the  peo 
ple  hunting  was  Chichepa,  and  the  bear  rushed  at 
him.  Chichepa  had  dreamed  the  night  before  that 
this  rock  in  the  canon  had  jumped  up  from  the 
ground  and  frightened  him.  When  he  came  near 
the  live-oak  brush,  the  bear  growled  and  sprang  out. 

Chichepa  ran  back,  ran  till  he  came  to  Tahaujwa- 
kaina,  the  bear  close  after  him.  The  bear  was 
so  angry  that  he  tore  up  big  oak-trees  as  he  ran. 
There  was  a  hole  in  the  top  of  the  rock.  Chichepa 
sprang  into  it.  The  bear  stood  on  his  hind  legs. 
He  could  barely  look  over  the  top  of  the  rock. 
He  looked  and  saw  nothing,  dropped  down,  ran  all 
around  the  rock,  looked  everywhere,  saw  no  sign  of 
Chichepa.  Then  he  turned  back  and  went  into  the 
thick  clumps  of  brush  from  which  he  had  started. 

The  people  went  west  a  while,  then  toward  the 
south,  and  began  to  find  deer.  Bohkuina  killed  the 
first  deer,  Howichinaipa  the  second,  Kechowala 
the  third,  Jihkulu  the  fourth,  Petaina  the  fifth,  and 
so  on  till  twenty  had  deer.  The  party  divided  then 
into  two.  Those  who  had  deer  turned  home  toward 
Jigulmatu,  and  went  in  the  order  in  which  they  had 
killed  them,  Bohkuina  first,  the  others  following 
each  in  his  turn. 

The  second  party  hunted  toward  the  east  and 
then  toward  Jigulmatu.  After  a  while  they  came  to 
Ketmatu,  where  Malewula  killed  a  deer,  and  Topuna 
killed  one,  and  Tsanunewa  killed  a  terribly  ugly  big 
deer  which  seemed  as  though  all  its  flesh  and  body 
were  swollen.  Hitchinna,  Kaitsiki,  Wihlaina,  and 
others  killed  deer;  each  person  killed  one  deer. 


47 2      Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

The  whole  party  turned  toward  Jigulmatu  then,  and 
there  was  great  gladness  in  Jupka's  sweat-house. 
The  women  prepared  acorns  and  mice  to  eat. 

Jupka  himself  never  went  hunting ;  he  stayed  at 
Jigulmatu  always,  just  lay  in  the  house  there,  told  all 
what  they  were  to  do,  and  showed  them  how  to  do 
what  was  needed.  When  they  came  in  from  hunting, 
all  put  their  venison  in  front  of  the  chief,  put  down 
before  him  all  the  deer  they  had  killed.  Jupka  took 
his  flint  knife  then,  and  cut  the  meat  into  pieces. 
He  roasted  ribs  of  it,  roasted  all  they  brought  in. 
When  it  was  cooked,  the  Mapchemaina  sat  down 
and  ate  the  meat  together.  Jupka  placed  out  before 
them  three  very  large  baskets  of  mice  in  three  differ 
ent  places,  and  in  front  of  each  basket  were  people 
to  deal  the  mice  out  to  each  person  who  wished 
some.  When  they  had  eaten,  Jupka  stood  up  and 
talked  to  all  present. 

"  I  wish  you  all  to  come  into  the  sweat-house  to 
night,"  said  he ;  "I  wish  to  tell  you  where  you  are 
to  hunt  to-morrow.v 

They  went  into  the  sweat-house  that  evening,  sat 
down  and  smoked,  and  while  they  were  smoking 
Jupka  rose  up  and  spoke  to  them.  Jupka  himself 
never  ate  anything  of  any  kind  ;  he  smoked  tobacco, 
smoked  all  the  time ;  that  was  the  only  thing  that 
he  ever  took  into  his  body.  When  he  spoke,  he 
said,  - 

"  I  think  it  is  better  to  hunt  in  the  north  to 
morrow." 

"  We  do  not  like  to  go  north  when  we  hunt,"  said 
some  of  the  people. 


The  First  Battle  in  the  World         473 

"  Well,  let  another  tell  where  to  go.  To-night  I 
will  have  Howichinaipa  sing  and  dance  for  deer.'* 

Then  Jupka  thought  a  while  and  said :  "  No,  I 
will  get  Ahalamila ;  he  is  a  good  person  to  dream  and 
sing  about  deer  and  to  dance.  I  will  tell  Ahalamila 
to  sing  and  dance  to-night.  He  will  tell  where  you 
ought  to  go,  he  will  say  which  road  to  take.  I  want 
you  all  to  lie  down  and  sleep  to-night,  old  men  and 
young,  and  all  the  women  ;  let  all  sleep  till  morning, 
sleep  till  I  call  you  to  the  hunt." 

When  the  time  came  that  evening,  Ahalamila  made 
a  fire  and  took  his  pipe.  He  blew  smoke  around  in 
every  direction.  He  put  down  his  pipe  then  and 
took  fir-leaves  ;  these  he  threw  on  the  fire,  and  while 
they  were  burning  he  sang,  — 

"  Wilichulaina  kulmachi,  Wilichulaina  kulmachi 
(A  quartz  rock,  a  white  rock,  a  quartz  rock,  a  white  rock)." 

and  he  put  a  beautiful  white  quartz  rock  on  the 
ground ;  at  each  side  of  it  he  thrust  into  the  earth  a 
small  twig  of  fir  and  one  of  blue  beech  ;  he  put  these 
on  the  east,  west,  north,  and  south  sides  of  the 
quartz. 

Ahalamila  kept  looking  at  the  twigs,  which  rose 
quickly,  grew  up,  and  became  little  trees.  He  walked 
around  them  and  sang;  sang  and  pinched  off  a  leaf  or 
a  bud  from  one  limb  or  another  as  he  walked.  Soon 
the  stone  began  to  move  of  itself,  and  it  swelled  and 
changed  shape,  till  at  last  it  turned  into  a  white  fawn. 
Just  at  daybreak  the  fawn  began  to  walk  around 
among  the  trees  and  sniff  as  though  it  smelt  some 
thing. 

Ahalamila  picked  up  the  little  fawn ;  blew  smoke 


474     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

from  his  mouth ;  blew  it  around  on  all  sides  ;  then 
he  put  the  fawn  down  again  and  it  turned  back  into 
quartz. 

It  was  daylight  then,  and  Ahalamila  stopped  sing 
ing.  "  I  have  finished  now/'  said  he.  "  It  will  be 
better  for  us  to  hunt  on  the  south  side." 

"  I  want  you,  my  people,"  called  Jupka,  "  to  rise 
up,  start  out  and  hunt.  Howichinaipa  will  go  ahead 
and  make  a  fire." 

Howichinaipa  went  ahead :  went  south  for  some 
distance ;  the  Mapchemaina  followed  soon  after ; 
went  to  the  place  where  Howichinaipa  had  made 
the  fire.  When  they  came  up,  there  was  a  good  large 
fire  at  a  place  called  Wewauna,  half  a  mile  from 
Hakamatu. 

"  Come  to  the  fire,  wait  a  while  before  we  start, 
talk  and  get  ready  to  hunt,"  said  Howichinaipa. 

Ten  men  went  on  farther  south  to  find  deer,  while 
the  others  waited  at  the  fire.  Those  ten  men  went 
south  quickly  ;  then  five  turned  east,  and  five  turned 
west  to  meet  again  at  Wewauna.  They  came  back 
about  the  same  time,  but  not  one  of  them  saw  deer 
or  game  of  any  kind.  Every  one  wondered  that 
there  was  no  game  in  any  place.  Ahalamila  and 
Howichinaipa  began  to  dispute  and  then  to  quarrel 
because  the  ten  men  could  find  no  deer. 

Howichinaipa  was  angry  ;  he  was  offended  because 
Jupka  had  named  him  first,  then  changed  his  mind 
and  called  Ahalamila  to  sing  for  deer.  He  was  angry, 
too,  and  jealous  because  he  wanted  one  of  Ahalamila's 
wives  who  was  his  own  wife's  sister.  Howichinaipa's 
wife  was  a  Chuhna,  and  Ahalamila's  wife  was  her  only 


The  First  Battle  in  the  World         475 

sister.  Howichinaipa  wanted  to  have  the  two  sisters 
as  his  wives  ;  he  wanted  both  of  them.  For  these 
two  reasons  the  Mapchemaina  could  find  no  deer 
that  day.  Howichinaipa  had  power  over  the  deer, 
and  had  sent  them  all  under  ground.  The  ten  men 
had  looked  in  a  great  many  places ;  they  had  run 
south,  east,  west,  and  could  find  no  deer.  Then  the 
whole  party  turned  to  the  southeast ;  they  went  to 
Chupirkoto.  Some  said,  "  What  is  the  use  in  going 
farther  ?  We  can  find  no  deer  to-day.  Ahalamila 
told  us  that  we  should  find  deer.  Where  are  they  ? 
We  cannot  see  them.'* 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  Ahalamila,  "  why  we  find 
no  deer.  I  sang  and  danced  last  night.  I  dreamed 
that  I  saw  deer,  that  I  saw  them  south  of  Jigulmatu." 

"  You  will  not  see  deer  or  any  other  game  to 
day,"  said  Howichinaipa ;  "  you  cannot  find  deer,  no 
matter  how  much  you  sing  and  dance.  You  are  not 
able  to  find  deer,  but  you  have  a  nice  wife.  She  is 
very  pretty." 

"  The  deer  were  coming,"  said  Ahalamila,  "  but 
you  stopped  them,  you  drove  them  away ; "  and  he 
sprang  at  Howichinaipa  to  strike  him.  Howichi 
naipa  dodged  and  went  down  through  the  ground. 

All  the  people  took  sides  and  began  to  fight ; 
some  were  for  Ahalamila,  others  were  on  Howichi- 
naipa's  side.  Howichinaipa  sprang  out  from  under 
the  ground,  stood  before  Ahalamila;  shot  at  him. 
Ahalamila  dodged  and  shot  too ;  Howichinaipa 
dodged  very  quickly. 

They  fought  on  in  this  way,  fought  hard,  moved 
toward  Jigulmatu,  fighting  all  the  time.  At  last 


476     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Ahalamila  was  struck  and  fell  dead ;  Topuna  was 
killed  too,  and  Hitchinna.  A  great  many  tried  to  kill 
Howichinaipa  ;  but  he  dodged  all  the  time,  dodged 
so  well,  so  quickly  that  not  one  of  all  his  enemies 
could  hit  him.  Jihkulu  helped  Howichinaipa ; 
never  stopped  fighting  for  a  moment. 

They  fought  all  the  way  to  Hwitalmauna  just 
south  of  Jigulmatu  ;  the  battle  there  was  very  hard, 
and  people  fell  on  both  sides.  There  are  many 
rocks  at  Hwitalmauna  now,  and  these  rocks  are  the 
Mapchemaina  killed  in  that  first  battle. 

Ahalamila's  friends  fought  hard  against  Jihkulu 
and  spent  many  arrows,  but  could  not  hit  him,  for 
he  had  a  robe  of  rabbit  skin  around  his  body. 

"  We  must  hit  that  Jihkulu,  we  must  kill  him," 
said  Ahalamila's  friends. 

"You  need  not  talk  like  that,  "said  Jihkulu  ;  "you 
cannot  kill  me.  I  am  the  best  fighter  in  all  this 
world.  I  have  been  in  every  part  of  it ;  no  one  has 
ever  hit  me,  no  one  has  ever  hurt  me." 

Jihkulu  shot  at  Jewina,  but  missed.  "  You  can't 
hit  me  !  "  cried  Jewina.  Jihkulu  shot  off  Jewina's 
coyote  skin,  and  then  he  killed  him.  Jewina  had 
dreamed  a  long  time  before  that  if  he  wore  coyote 
skin  in  battle  he  would  not  be  killed,  and  that  was 
why  he  wore  it ;  but  when  Jihkulu  shot  off  the  skin, 
he  killed  him  easily. 

Now  Jupka  was  lying  in  the  sweat-house  on 
Jigulmatu,  and  he  heard  the  noise  and  shouting  at 
Hwitalmauna.  "  They  are  fighting  ;  I  must  stop  the 
battle!"  cried  he.  So  he  ran  south  —  rushed  into 
the  middle  of  the  fight. 


The  First  Battle  in  the  World         477 

"  I  want  both  sides  to  stop  !  "  shouted  Jupka. 

The  battle  was  at  an  end  right  there ;  all  followed 
Jupka  to  Jigulmatu.  That  evening  he  said,  "  You 
will  hunt  in  the  north  to-morrow."  All  were  in  the 
sweat-house  then  and  were  listening.  Jupka  spoke 
to  them  some  time,  and  then  they  all  talked  at  once  ; 
it  seemed  as  though  the  house  would  "burst  when 
they  were  talking. 

Next  day  they  found  deer  in  the  north,  and  found 
them  in  plenty.  Each  had  one  to  bring  back  to 
the  sweat-house.  When  they  were  coming  home 
through  thick  brushwood,  Popila  wished  to  please 
Ahalamila's  friends,  and  made  himself  a  bear  to  kill 
Howichinaipa,  who  fought  the  day  before  with 
Ahalamila  and  killed  him. 

The  bear  came  out  and  threw  his  arms  around  a 
clump  of  brush  in  which  Howichinaipa  was.  Ho 
wichinaipa  slipped  out  in  time  and  ran.  The  bear 
rushed  after  him,  hunted  him,  and  almost  caught 
him  at  a  rock  near  Hakamatu.  Howichinaipa 
sprang  on  to  the  rock  and  said,  — 

"  I  am  nearly  dead ;  I  wish  this  rock  to  open ;  1 
am  too  tired  to  run  ;  I  can  go  no  farther." 

The  rock  opened,  and  Howichinaipa  dropped  in. 
The  bear  rushed  up,  stuck  his  head  and  fore  paws 
after  Howichinaipa ;  but  the  rock  closed,  and  the  bear 
was  caught  and  killed. 

Howichinaipa  came  out  and  stood  beside  the  bear. 
"  I  am  tired,"  said  he.  "  I  was  almost  dead.  You 
tried  your  best  to  kill  me,  but  I  am  hard  to  kill." 
Then  he  took  his  flint  knife,  cut  around  the  bear's 
neck  and  behind  his  two  fore  paws,  and  skinned 


478     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

him,  put  the  skin  on  his  shoulder,  and  started  for 
Jigulmatu.  He  came  behind  the  others,  reached 
home  at  dusk.  He  hung  the  skin  near  the  door, 
and  said, — 

"  We  shall  hear  what  Ahalamila's  friends  will  say 
to-morrow  morning." 

Popila's  mother  heard  what  her  son  had  done, 
and  when  she  saw  the  bearskin  she  cried  and  rolled 
upon  the  ground.  Next  day  the  old  woman  was 
sweeping;  she  swept  out  a  little  red-eared  boy,  a 
Pakalai  Jawichi,  and  as  she  swept,  he  squealed. 
Popila  Marimi  took  him  up,  took  a  deerskin,  and 
made  a  blanket  of  it,  and  put  the  little  fellow  in  this 
deerskin.  She  boiled  water  then  with  hot  rocks  and 
washed  him,  and  every  time  she  washed  she  sprin 
kled  flint  dust  on  the  little  boy  to  make  him  strong. 
He  could  creep  around  next  morning  ;  but  she  said: 

"  Stay  in  one  place ;  you  must  not  move.  There 
may  be  poison  in  some  place ;  if  you  touch  it,  it 
will  kill  you.  Stay  right  where  I  put  you." 

The  second  day  the  boy  could  talk.  "You  cry  all 
the  time,  grandmother;  why  do  you  cry  ?"  asked  he. 

"  Do  not  ask  that  question,  grandson  ;  it  makes 
me  grieve  to  hear  you.  All  my  people  were  dead 
except  my  son ;  now  he  is  killed  and  I  have  no 
one." 

The  fifth  day  the  boy  was  walking  around  the 
house  outside. 

"  Grandmother,"  said  he,  "make  a  great  fire." 

She  made  a  fire  in  the  sweat-house.  The  boy 
stood  near  the  central  pillar  and  sang,  "  Hala  wata, 
hala  wata." 


The  First  Battle  in  the  World         479 

He  fell  asleep  while  sweating ;  slept  till  morning. 
Next  day  when  he  woke  he  said  to  his  grandmother, 
"  What  am  I  to  do  with  my  hands  ?  " 

The  old  woman  gave  him  a  flint  knife  and  said, 
"  I  have  had  this  a  long  time ;  take  it  now  and  fix 
your  hands  with  it." 

His  fingers  were  joined  together  as  far  as  the  first 
joint,  and  she  showed  him  how  to  separate  them  from 
each  other.  He  cut  the  little  finger  first,  then  the 
third,  the  second,  and  the  first.  The  thumb  he  called 
big  finger ;  and  when  the  five  fingers  were  sepa 
rated  and  free  of  each  other,  she  told  him  to  call  the 
thumb  the  big  finger,  and  call  it  one,  the  next  two, 
the  next  three,  the  next  four,  and  the  little  finger 
five. 

This  was  the  first  time  that  counting  was  ever 
done  in  the  world.  And  when  Jupka  made  the 
Yana,  he  gave  them  hands  like  Pakalai  Jawichi's. 

When  his  left  hand  was  finished,  Pakalai  Jawichi 
said,  "  I  don't  know  how  to  cut  with  my  left 
hand." 

The  old  woman  helped  him  to  free  the  fingers  of 
the  right  hand.  When  all  his  fingers  were  free,  the 
boy  was  able  to  shoot,  and  he  wanted  a  bow  and 
arrows. 

The  old  woman  brought  all  the  bows  of  her  dead 
kindred  ;  he  broke  all  but  one,  which  had  a  string 
made  from  the  shoulder  sinews  of  a  deer.  He  took 
that  and  went  out.  This  day  Howichinaipa  hid  him 
self  in  a  cedar-tree  :  he  was  watching  a  bird.  Pakalai 
Jawichi  knew  that  he  was  there,  and  called  with  the 
voice  of  the  bird  that  Howichinaipa  was  watching. 


480     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

Howichinaipa  came  down  on  the  tree  lower  and 
lower,  looking  to  see  where  the  call  came  from. 

Pakalai  Jawichi  was  hidden  in  a  tree  opposite, 
where  Howichinaipa  could  not  see  him;  he  kept 
calling,  and  Howichinaipa  kept  coming  down. 
Pakalai  Jawichi  had  a  good  sight  of  him. 

"  If  I  hit  him  in  the  body,"  thought  he,  "  the 
arrow  will  not  hurt  him ;  I  must  hit  him  in  the  out 
side  toe." 

He  did  that,  and  Howichinaipa  fell  to  the  ground 
wounded.  Pakalai  Jawichi  pinned  him  to  the  earth 
with  one  arrow,  then  with  another ;  pinned  his  two 
sides  to  the  ground  with  two  rows  of  arrows.  Pakalai 
Jawichi  ran  home. 

"  Oh,  grandmother  ! "  cried  he. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  the  old  woman  ; 
"  you  came  near  falling  into  the  fire." 

"  There  is  some  one  out  here  ;  I  want  you  to 
see  him." 

The  old  woman  took  her  cane  and  followed 
Pakalai  Jawichi. 

"  Do  you  see  that  person  lying  there  ?  " 

The  old  woman  looked,  and  saw  the  person  who 
had  killed  her  son,  saw  him  pinned  to  the  earth. 
She  was  so  glad  that  she  cried,  she  dropped  down 
then,  and  rolled  on  the  ground ;  after  that  she 
jumped  up  and  danced  around  his  body,  danced 
many  times,  danced  till  she  was  tired. 

"  Hereafter,"  said  Pakalai  Jawichi,  "  everybody 
will  call  you  Howichinaipa.  You  will  be  a  person 
no  longer ;  you  will  be  only  a  little  bird,  with  these 
arrow-marks  on  both  sides  of  your  breast." 


The  First  Battle  in  the  World         481 

He  became  a  little  bird  then  and  flew  away,  the 
little  bird  which  we  call  Howichinaipa. 

Next  morning  after  the  second  hunt  Jupka  heard 
loud  shouting  in  the  east ;  a  great  Mapchemaina  had 
thrust  his  head  above  the  edge  of  the  sky.  This 
person  had  beautiful  feathers  waving  on  his  head. 
Jupka  had  made  him  shout,  and  he  said  to  him,  — 

"  Every  time  you  rise  up  and  show  yourself  to 
the  people  of  Jigulmatu  you  must  shout  in  that 
way." 

This  great  person  in  the  east  had  two  dogs ;  they 
were  small,  but  very  strong.  "  Which  of  you  is 
coming  with  me  ?  "  asked  he  that  morning.  "  I 
want  a  good  dog  ;  I  am  always  afraid  when  I  travel 
in  the  daytime." 

"  I  will  give  you  a  name  now,"  said  Jupka  to  this 
person  in  the  east.  "  All  people  will  call  you  here 
after  by  the  name  which  I  give  now.  The  name 
which  I  give  you  is  Tuina.  You  will  be  known 
always  by  this  name.  And  your  name,"  said  he  to 
the  dog,  "  will  be  Machperkami." 

When  Tuina  was  ready  to  start,  he  made  his  small 
dog  still  smaller,  very  small ;  put  him  under  the 
hair  on  the  top  of  his  head,  and  tied  him  in 
there. 

When  all  dressed  and  ready,  with  the  dog  fast 
ened  in  his  hair,  Tuina  became  as  full  of  light  as 
he  is  in  our  time.  Before  he  was  dressed  and  armed 
and  had  his  dog  on  his  head  Tuina  had  no  bright 
ness,  but  when  he  started  he  filled  this  whole  world 
with  light,  as  he  does  now  in  the  daytime. 

Bohkuina  had  made  a  road  for  Tuina  to  travel 

31 


482     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

on  ;  he  had  made  this  road  in  the  sky,  and  Tuina 
went  straight  along  to  the  west  by  it,  till  he  reached 
the  great  water.  When  he  was  ready  to  plunge  into 
the  water,  a  hatenna  (grizzly  bear)  of  the  water  was 
coming  out  and  saw  him.  Tuina  put  his  hands  out 
and  motioned  with  his  arms  as  if  they  were  wings, 
motioned  as  if  to  jump  in. 

"  Tuina  is  coming !  "  said  the  grizzly  bear  of  the 
water.  "It  will  be  too  hot  here  if  he  comes.  Let 
us  make  ready  and  go  to  high  mountains.  We 
cannot  stay  here  if  Tuina  comes." 

A  great  crowd  of  water  grizzlies  came  out  of  the 
ocean  and  went  away  to  the  mountains.  Tuina 
jumped  into  the  water,  and  it  rose  on  all  sides,  boiled 
up,  rolled  away  over  the  shore ,  every  kind  of  shell 
of  the  ocean  went  to  land  at  the  same  time. 

Tuina  went  far  into  the  water,  way  down  to  the 
bottom ;  he  went  through  the  bottom,  deep  under 
the  water  and  the  ground,  and  returned  to  the  east. 

Long  before  that  Jupka  had  made  a  road  under 
the  earth  for  Tuina  to  travel  on,  a  road  back  to  the 
east.  Jupka  turned  the  earth  bottom  upward,  and 
made  this  road  right  through  from  west  to  east ;  and 
before  Tuina  started  Jupka  said  to  him,  — 

"  I  have  made  a  road,  a  straight  road  under  the 
earth  for  you,  a  good  road ;  there  are  no  rocks  on 
it,  all  is  smooth.  Bohkuina  made  the  road  on  the 
sky,  the  road  from  east  to  west  for  you  to  run  on  ; 
I  made  the  road  down  below,  the  road  under  the 
earth  from  west  to  east.  When  you  reach  the  east, 
you  will  rest  a  while,  rise  in  the  morning,  come  up 
and  go  west  again  on  the  road  which  Bohkuina 


The  First  Battle  in  the  World        483 

made;  you  will  do  this  every  day  without  failing; 
you  will  do  this  all  the  time." 

When  Jupka  stopped  talking,  Tuina  went  west, 
went  back  in  the  night  on  Jupka V road;  and  so  he 
does  always. 

The  day  after  Jupka  had  talked  with  Tuina,  given 
him  his  name  and  his  work,  he  said,  "  I  will  make 

Yana  now,  and  I  will  give  them  a  good  country  to 

i  •      •    » 
live  in. 

He  took  buckeye-sticks,  broke  off  a  large  number; 
he  wished  to  lay  them  down  on  the  top  of  Jigulmatu 
and  make  Yana.  He  put  down  the  first  stick  and 
said,  "  I  will  call  this  one  Iwilau  Yana"  (Yana  of 
tlie  middle  place). 

When  he  had  said  these  words,  a  man  rose  up 
before  him,  a  Yana. 

"  You  will  stay  here  in  this  middle  country,"  said 
Jupka.  "You  will  be  chief." 

Jupka  put  down  another  buckeye-stick,  and  it 
became  a  Yana  woman  at  Jupka's  word.  He  put 
down  a  third  stick,  which  became  a  boy. 

cc  This  is  an  orphan  without  father  or  mother," 
said  Jupka ;  and  he  called  the  boy  Hurskiyupa. 

Jupka  put  other  buckeye-sticks,  a  large  number 
of  them,  around  the  first  Yana,  the  chief,  and  made 
common  people.  They  all  stood  around  the  chief 
and  Jupka  said  to  them,  — 

"  This  is  your  chief;  he  will  tell  you  what  to  do ; 
you  must  obey  him  and  do  what  he  commands." 

"  Now,"  said  Jupka,  "  what  will  the  people  of  the 
middle  country  eat?  what  shall  I  give  them?"  and  he 
thought  a  while.  "  You  will  eat  clover,"  said  he, "  and 


484     Creation  Myths  of  Primitive  America 

roots.  I  will  give  you  sticks  to  dig  these  roots.  You 
will  eat  fish,  too,  and  venison.  Eat  and  be  strong, 
be  good  Yana  people.  When  the  chief  wants  a  deer, 
he  will  call  you  together  and  say,  £I  wish  to  eat  venison ; 
I  want  you  to  go  out,  I  want  you  to  hunt  deer  and 
bring  home  venison  to  eat/  You  must  obey  the 
chief  always." 


NOTES 


THE  following  notes  are  put  in  as  condensed  a  form  as  possible. 
They  are  confined  to  explanations  of  the  actors  or  characters  in  the 
myths,  and  to  information  concerning  the  meaning  of  names  of 
persons  and  places. 

The  myths  from  one  to  nine  inclusive  are  Wintu,  from  ten  to 
the  end  Yana.  These  two  nations,  though  neighbors,  are  not 
related  ;  their  languages  are  radically  different. 


NOTES 

IN  1895  I  made  a  journey  to  California  in  consequence  of  an 
arrangement  with  the  late  Charles  A.  Dana,  editor  of  "  The 
Sun."  According  to  this  arrangement,  Mr.  Dana  was  to  publish 
on  consecutive  Sundays  such  myth-tales  as  I  might  think  of  sufficient 
value  to  appear  in  his  paper.  Those  myths  were  to  be  found  by 
me  in  California,  Mexico,  and  Guatemala. 

I  began  at  the  source  of  the  Sacramento  River,  and  worked  down 
to  the  mouth,  my  last  stopping-place  being  the  extensive  hop-fields 
in  the  lower  valley. 

In  San  Francisco  I  wrote  the  following  short  account  of  the 
Wintus.  That  done,  I  set  out  for  Mexico. 

In  the  city  of  Guadalajara  I  copied  the  myths  obtained  in 
California  and  sent  them  to  "The  Sun."  After  that  I  worked 
at  "Quo  Vadis,"  the  greater  part  of  which  I  translated  in 
Guadalajara. 

All  the  myths  in  this  volume  were  published  in  "The  Sun," 
and  appeared  as  a  part  of  a  series  pertaining  to  Indians  in  California, 
Mexico,  and  Guatemala. 

Only  the  California  part  has  been  published  thus  far. 

After  leaving  Guadalajara  I  spent  almost  a  year  in  Guatemala 
and  Chiapas,  the  southernmost  state  of  Mexico.  Among  the  last 
places  which  I  visited  was  Palenque.  A  view  of  one  part  of  the 
ruins  of  this  remarkable  and  mysterious  city  appears  as  a  frontis 
piece  to  the  present  volume. 


THE    WINTUS 

THE  Wintus  are  a  nation  or  stock  of  Indians  who  before  the 
coming  of  white  men  owned  and  occupied  all  that  part  of  California 
situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Sacramento,  from  its  source  near 
the  foot  of  Mount  Shasta  to  its  mouth  at  the  northern  shore  of  San 
Francisco  Bay. 


488  Notes 


These  Indians  extended  into  Trinity  County  on  the  west,  and 
still  farther  to  the  mountain  slope  which  lies  toward  the  Pacific. 
Only  a  small  number  of  them,  however,  were  on  the  western 
declivity.  The  great  body  of  the  nation  lived  on  the  eastern 
slope  of  the  Coast  Range  and  in  the  Sacramento  Valley.  Some 
of  their  finest  mental  productions  are  connected  with  the  upper 
course  of  the  Sacramento  and  with  the  MacCloud  River,  or  Wini 
Mem. 

It  is  difficult  to  determine  what  the  Wintu  population  was  half 
a  century  ago,  but,  judging  from  the  number  of  houses  in  villages, 
the  names  and  positions  of  which  have  been  given  me  by  old  men, 
I  should  say  that  it  could  not  have  been  less  than  10,000,  and 
might  easily  have  been  double  that  number.  At  present  there  are 
not  more  than  500  Wintus  in  existence. 

The  Wintus  have  suffered  grievously  ;  great  numbers  have  been 
killed  by  white  men,  others  have  perished  by  diseases  brought  in  by 
strangers  ;  but  those  who  remain  are  strong  and  are  more  likely  to 
increase  than  diminish.  Times  of  violence  have  passed,  and  the 
present  Wintus  are  willing  and  able  to  adapt  themselves  to  modern 
conditions. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  readers  of  these  myth  tales  to  know 
something  of  the  present  condition  of  the  Wintus. 

In  1889,  when  I  was  in  California,  commissioned  by  Major 
Powell  for  the  second  time  to  make  linguistic  investigations  among 
various  tribes  of  the  Pacific  coast,  a  few  Wintus  came  to  me  in 
Redding,  California,  and  complained  of  their  wretched  condition. 
There  was  not  a  spot  of  land,  they  said,  where  they  could  build  a 
hut  without  danger  of  being  ordered  away  from  it.  "  This  country 
was  ours  once,"  added  they,  "  but  the  white  man  has  taken  all  of 
it."  I  told  them  to  bring  their  people  together,  and  invite  also 
the  Yanas,  who  had  suffered  more  than  all  other  people  of  that 
region,  and  then  explain  to  me  what  was  needed. 

The  two  peoples  met  on  a  little  stony  field  in  a  brushy  waste  out 
side  the  inhabited  part  of  Redding.  There  they  made  speeches 
and  discussed  matters  for  three  hours  the  first  day  and  as  many  the 
second.  They  gave  me  all  the  points  of  what  they  wanted,  which 
was  simply  that  the  United  States  should  give  each  man  of  them  a 


Notes  489 

piece  of  land,  with  help  to  begin  life  on  it.  I  jotted  down  in  brief 
form  what  they  had  told  me,  read  it  to  them,  and  they  were  satis 
fied.  Next  day  the  paper  was  copied  in  the  form  of  a  petition 
from  the  two  nations  to  President  Harrison.  They  signed  the  pe 
tition  before  a  Redding  notary,  and  gave  it  to  me  with  a  request  to 
lay  it  before  the  President. 

Early  in  I  890  I  was  in  Washington.  Anxious  to  win  the  case  of 
my  poor  Indian  friends,  —  or  "  Diggers, "  as  some  men  are  pleased 
to  call  them  contemptuously,  —  I  looked  around  for  a  Congressman 
of  influence  to  go  with  me  to  support  the  petition  before  the  Presi 
dent.  I  found  no  suitable  person  till  I  met  my  classmate  and 
friend,  Governor  Greenhalge  of  Massachusetts,  at  that  time  a  mem 
ber  of  Congress.  When  he  heard  the  tale  of  the  Yana  massacre 
and  realized  the  sad  plight  of  the  Wintus,  he  offered  at  once  to  co 
operate  with  me.  He  went  to  the  President  and  explained  the 
affair  to  him.  Two  or  three  days  later  he  accompanied  me  to  the 
White  House.  I  gave  the  petition  to  President  Harrison,  who 
promised  to  favor  it  with  his  executive  initiative.  He  did  this  so 
earnestly  and  with  such  emphasis  that  an  agent  was  appointed  very 
soon  to  find  land  for  those  Indians.  The  agent  found  land  for 
them  in  various  places,  but  within  the  radius  of  their  former  pos 
sessions.  The  condition  of  the  Wintus  at  present  is  this  :  They 
have  lands  which  are  described,  but  in  most  cases  the  boundaries 
are  not  indicated  by  any  material  mark,  or  at  least  very  few  of 
them  are  ;  white  men  are  trespassing,  and  it  is  impossible  for  the 
Indians  to  protect  themselves  till  their  boundaries  are  fixed  tangibly. 
They  will  not  have  the  means  to  begin  serious  work  till  they  re 
ceive  assistance.  They  are  waiting  now  in  hope  that  the  Commis 
sioner  of  Indian  Affairs  will  have  their  lands  surveyed,  and  that 
Congress  will  make  a  small  appropriation  for  their  benefit.  This 
is  the  extent  of  their  hopes  and  wishes.  They  are  very  glad  to 
have  land,  and  the  majority  of  them  will  make  fairly  good  use  of 
it.  When  I  met  them  in  1895,  they  were  very  grateful  for  the 
part  which  I  had  taken  in  settling  them  in  life,  adding  that  they 
could  not  have  settled  themselves  unassisted.  As  to  me,  I  cannot 
but  make  an  emphatic  acknowledgment  of  the  generous  and  effective 
aid  given  by  Governor  Greenhalge. 


490  Notes 

"  Olelbis,"  the  first  myth  published  in  "  The  Sun  "  (March  29, 
1896),  was  preceded  by  the  following  brief  introduction  :  — 

The  Wintus,  with  whose  creation-myths  I  begin  this  series,  are 
a  very  interesting  people.  Their  language  is  remarkably  harmoni 
ous,  rich,  and  flexible.  It  has  great  power  of  describing  the  physi 
cal  features  of  the  country  in  which  it  is  spoken,  as  well  as  the 
beliefs  and  ideas  of  the  Wintus  themselves. 

The  picture  of  Olelbis,  a  being  who  lives  in  the  highest  and  sees 
everything,  is  drawn  more  distinctly  and  with  more  realism  than 
any  character  in  other  American  religious  systems,  so  far  as  I  know. 

The  theory  of  creation  evolved  by  the  Indians  of  North  America 
is  complete,  simple,  and  symmetrical.  I  have  referred  to  it  some 
what  in  the  introduction  to  "  Hero  Tales  of  Ireland,"  in  "  Myths 
and  Folk-lore  of  Ireland,"  and  in  "  Myths  and  Folk-tales  of  the 
Russians,  Western  Slavs,  and  Magyars."  This  theory  is  in  brief 
as  follows :  — 

There  was  a  people  in  existence  before  the  present  race  of  men ; 
in  speaking  of  the  present  race  of  men,  the  tales  have  in  view  In 
dians  only.  This  first  people  lived  in  harmony  for  a  period  of 
indefinite,  unimaginable  duration,  without  division  or  dissension,  — 
undifferentiated,  so  to  speak.  This  was  the  golden  age  of  existence, 
a  Nirvana  preliminary  to  life  as  we  know  it  at  present,  a  Nirvana 
of  the  gods,  as  the  Buddhist  extinction  of  self  is  to  be  the  Nirvana 
of  just  men  when  all  shall  be  one  in  all  and  one  in  one.  At  last 
a  time  came  when  character  appeared,  and  with  it  differences  and 
conflicts.  When  the  conflicts  were  past  and  the  battles  fought  out, 
the  majority  of  the  first  people  were  turned  into  all  the  animated 
things,  walking,  creeping,  crawling,  swimming,  flying,  that  have 
ever  been  seen  on  the  earth,  in  the  water,  or  in  the  air.  They 
were  turned  also  into  trees  and  plants  of  every  kind,  —  some  into 
heavenly  bodies,  others  into  remarkable  stones  and  rocks,  just  as, 
in  the  Bible,  Lot's  wife  was  turned  into  a  pillar  of  salt. 

According  to  this  theory,  every  individual  existence  which  we 
see  in  the  world  around  us  is  a  transformed  or  fallen  god.  Every 
beast,  bird,  reptile,  fish,  insect,  or  plant  was  at  one  time  a  divinity 
of  high  or  low  degree,  an  uncreated  person  who  had  lived  in  har 
mony  with  his  fellows  from  the  beginning  till  the  time  when  variety 


Notes  49 1 

of  character,  or  individuality,  appeared  and  brought  with  it  diffi 
culties,  or  perhaps  we  might  say,  penalty.  With  individuality 
came  conflicts ;  when  those  conflicts  were  over,  creation  was 
finished. 

At  the  end  of  each  particular  conflict  the  victor  turned  by  means 
of  a  word  the  vanquished  into  that  which  embodied  and  expressed 
his  character.  The  vanquished  on  his  part  had  a  similar  compel 
ling  word,  and  changed  his  opponent  into  the  beast,  bird,  or  other 
existence  which  described  him  ;  in  other  terms,  he  gave  his  oppo 
nent  the  physical  form,  the  outward  personality,  which  corresponded 
to  the  nature  of  his  hidden  or  at  least  his  unapparent  character. 
Besides  these  metamorphosed  or  fallen  divinities,  there  is  in  the 
Indian  mythologies  a  group,  a  small  minority,  which  was  not 
changed,  but  left  this  world  going  out  under  the  sky  at  the  west  to 
live  in  harmony  and  delight ;  and  they  live  in  that  way  to  this  mo 
ment.  Sometimes  this  group,  or  a  part  of  it,  went  to  live  above 
the  sky. 

The  Indian  Creation-myths  all  relate  to  the  adventures  and  ex 
ploits  of  the  "first  people,"  —  the  gods;  none  relate  to  human 
beings,  and  none  touch  on  anything  done  since  man  appeared  on 
earth.  They  are  the  accounts  of  what  took  place  when  there  was 
an  order  different  from  the  present,  and  explain  how  the  present 
order  rose  from  the  first. 

Such,  in  substance,  is  the  foundation  of  American  religious  sys 
tems,  and  the  method  of  all  of  them,  so  far  as  examined.  The 
Wintu  is  different  from  many  others  in  its  methods  and  details,  but 
the  result  is  the  same  in  all  cases.  Olelbis,  with  few  exceptions, 
disposes  of  the  first  people,  retains  with  himself  whomsoever  he 
likes,  sends  to  the  earth  and  transforms  those  whom  he  thinks  more 
useful  below  than  above>  and  gives  the  example  of  a  single  ruling 
divinity  which,  without  being  represented  as  all-powerful  or  all-wise, 
manages  through  the  knowledge  and  services  of  others  to  bear  rule 
over  all  things. 


49 2  Notes 


OLELBIS 

THIS  myth  contains  a  complete  statement  concerning  the  begin 
nings  of  Wintu  belief.  Olelbis  occupies  the  first  place  in  the 
estimation  of  Wintus.  To  understand  the  Wintu  mind,  it  is  indis 
pensable  to  begin  with  Olelbis.  Other  myths  illustrate  this  one, 
explain  parts  of  the  Wintu  system,  and  help  to  explain  the  mental 
life  of  the  people ;  but  this  tale  of  Creation  is  to  Indians  of  the 
western  half  of  the  Sacramento  valley  what  their  sacred  books  are 
to  historic  races. 

No  Wintu  has  been  converted  to  Christianity  ;  hence  the  faith  of 
the  nation  is  undimmed,  and  its  adherence  to  primitive  religion  un- 
weakened.  I  cannot  explain  their  position  better  than  by  giving 
the  words  of  one  of  the  most  intelligent  Wintus  whom  I  have  met. 
After  I  had  collected  all  that  I  could  find,  and  had  received  need 
ful  explanations  as  far  as  was  possible,  I  spoke  some  time  with  this 
man.  Referring  to  their  religion  and  ideas,  he  said  :  "  When  I 
talk  of  these  things,  I  am  afraid,  I  feel  kind  of  scart"  (scared). 

That  explains  their  position  perfectly.  Their  faith  is  of  the 
firmest ;  they  are  full  of  awe  ;  they  believe  that  Olelbis  is  up  there 
now  in  the  "Central  Blue,"  in  his  marvellous  Panti  Hlut,  the 
most  beautiful  structure  in  the  universe,  and  from  there  sees  every 
thing  that  happens.  That  heavenly  house  is  framed  of  living  oak- 
trees,  which  bear  acorns  continually,  the  Indian  bread  of  life,  — 
that  house  which  has  in  and  around  it  all  the  flowers  that  have 
ever  bloomed,  flowers  whose  roots  can  never  die. 

Winishuyat,  mentioned  in  "  Olelbis  "  and  in  other  tales,  is  one  of 
the  most  interesting  personages  in  Wintu  mythology.  He  is  de 
scribed  as  a  little  man,  about  the  size  of  a  thumb,  and  is  always 
placed  on  the  top  of  the  head  by  the  person  whom  he  accom 
panies  and  aids.  This  person  never  fails  to  tie  his  own  hair  over 
Winishuyat,  and  thus  conceals  him  from  every  stranger.  Winis 
means  "he  sees  ;  "  the  literal  significance  of  huyat  I  have  not  been 
able  to  get  at  satisfactorily  thus  far.  The  essential  meaning  of  the 
whole  word  is  that  he  sees  in  mind  the  approaching  danger  before 


Notes 


493 


it  is  evident  to  the  physical  eye.  Winishuyat  means,  therefore, 
the  prescience  of  danger,  —  seeing  danger  while  it  is  yet  at  some 
distance  ;  not  necessarily  distance  geographically,  for  the  danger 
may  be  present,  but  concealed  in  the  breast  of  a  dissembling 
enemy,  and  some  time,  short  or  long,  may  be  between  it  and 
actual  happening. 

The  peculiar  thing  in  the  case  is  that  foresight  is  separated  from 
the  hero,  and  is  made  the  distinguishing  quality  of  his  little  thumb- 
sized  attendant,  just  as  if  each  power  had  to  be  connected  with  a 
person,  —  no  person  having  more  than  one  great  trait  of  character. 

In  the  Yana  mythology  there  is  no  name  corresponding  to  Wini 
shuyat,  but  the  same  office  is  filled  by  a  maternal  uncle. 

In  the  tale  of  "Juiwaiyu,"  Jupka,  the  uncle  of  the  hero,  makes 
himself  as  small  as  a  thumb,  and  is  tied  in  under  the  hair  of  his 
nephew.  In  the  winning  of  Paiowa,  at  the  house  of  Tuina,  Igu- 
patopa  performs  for  his  sister's  son  the  same  kind  of  service  rendered 
by  Winishuyat,  —  with  this  difference,  that  he  is  more  active  ;  he  is 
not  merely  an  adviser,  he  is  a  helper,  a  strengthener  ;  he  gives 
counsel  to  make  his  nephew  wise,  and  then  enters  into  his  heart  to 
fortify  him,  to  render  him  brave  and  strong. 

It  is  curious  and  instructive  to  note  in  European  Folk-tales 
the  survival  of  Winishuyat  and  his  approximate  equivalent,  the 
Yana  uncle.  In  Slav  tales  this  person  is  the  mangy,  miserable, 
neglected  little  colt  which,  when  taken  outside  the  town,  shakes 
itself  and  becomes  a  marvellous  magic  steed,  golden-haired,  un 
tiring,  and  wise,  faithful  to  its  master  as  the  sun  to  his  course  in 
the  sky. 

This  steed  knows  what  is  coming,  knows  exactly  what  to  do, 
knows  the  mistakes  that  his  master  is  sure  to  commit,  knows  how 
to  correct  them  ;  and  the  cumulative  effect  of  these  corrections 
increases  immensely  the  momentum  of  the  final  triumph. 

The  Tom  Thumb  of  nursery  tales,  the  mentor  of  his  big 
brothers,  gives  also  a  striking  reminder  of  Winishuyat. 


494  Notes 


MEM    LOIMIS 

THIS  beautiful  myth,  in  which  wind  and  water  are  the  moving 
characters,  needs  little  if  any  explanation,  save  in  one  point,  that 
relating  to  the  Hlahi,  commonly  called  doctor  by  white  men. 
The  word  Shaman  used  in  Siberia  describes  his  position  accurately. 
He  is  not  the  master  of  spirits  exactly,  but  he  is  the  favorite  and 
friend  of  one  or  of  more  spirits  ;  that  is,  of  such  spirits  as  promised 
him  their  co-operation  at  the  time  when  he  became  a  Hlahi.  If 
this  person  observes  the  rules  of  life  that  are  always  imposed  on 
him  who  enjoys  the  friendship  of  this  or  that  spirit  (these  rules 
refer  mainly  to  food  agreeable  to  the  spirit),  and  does  what  is 
needful  when  the  spirit  is  invoked  (the  needful,  in  this  case,  in 
cludes  smoking  and  dancing),  together  with  chanting  the  song  of 
this  spirit  (every  spirit  has  its  own  song),  the  spirit  will  come  at 
his  call. 

Sanihas  Yupchi  smokes  and  dances  ;  the  Tsudi  girls  sing  or 
chant.  The  name  Sanihas  Yupchi  means  the  archer  of  Sanihas ; 
Sanihas  means  daylight  or  the  entire  light  of  day  from  dawn  till 
darkness, —  in  other  words,  all  the  light  that  Sas  the  sun  gives 
between  one  night  and  another,  —  though  Sanihas,  daylight,  is  always 
represented  as  a  person,  and  not  the  product  of  Sas' s  activity.  This 
Sanihas  Yupchi,  the  archer  of  daylight,  the  usher  of  the  dawn,  is 
no  other  than  Tsaroki  Sakahl,  who  has  a  white  stripe  on  his  back, 
the  messenger  who  was  sent  by  Torihas  to  invite  Katkatchila  to  the 
hunt  which  caused  the  burning  of  the  world  in  "  Olelbis."  He 
appears  also  as  the  envoy  who  ran  in  darkness  on  the  gleaming 
sand  trail  to  invite  Hawt  to  Waida  Dikit's  green  and  red  house, 
where  the  world  concert  was  held,  at  which  Hawt  proved  to  be 
the  greatest  musician  in  existence. 

In  the  note  to  "  Kol  Tibichi  "  will  be  found  an  account  of  how 
the  Hlahi  receives  the  aid  and  co-operation  of  spirits. 

Most  interesting  beliefs  are  connected  with  Wokwuk,  the  son  of 
Olelbis  and  Mem  Loimis.  The  Wintus  believe  Wokwuk  to  be 
the  greatest  source  of  power  and  wealth. 


Notes  495 

According  to  "Olelbis,"  different  bits  of  Wokwuk  came  down 
to  the  earth  and  were  turned  into  elk  and  various  valuable  creatures  ; 
the  dp  of  Wokwuk' s  little  ringer  became  the  earthly  Wokwuk. 

Wintus  told  me  that  if  a  man  were  to  see  the  earthly  Wokwuk, 
who  was  made  from  the  tip  of  Wokwuk' s  little  finger,  he  would 
grow  immensely  rich  from  the  good  luck  which  the  sight  would 
bring  him.  The  last  Wokwuk  seen  appeared  a  little  over  a  hun 
dred  years  ago.  The  story  of  its  appearance  is  as  follows  :  — 

One  day  an  old  woman  at  a  village  called  Tsarken,  about 
twenty  miles  north  of  Redding,  went  for  wood.  Soon  she  ran 
home  almost  breathless,  leaving  her  basket  behind. 

"  Oh,  my  grandson,"  cried  she  to  the  chief,  "  I  am  frightened. 
My  grandfather  and  grandmother  used  to  say  to  me  when  I  was  a 
girl,  '  You  will  see  a  wonderful  thing  some  day.'  I  have  just 
seen  something  wonderful  on  the  hill.  I  believe  it  is  a  Wokwuk. 
Old  people  told  me  that  if  a  Wokwuk  is  seen  he  will  stay  in  one 
place  a  long  time.  I  think  this  Wokwuk  will  stay,  and  wants  us 
to  see  him." 

The  chief  made  a  beautiful  shed  of  small  fir-trees,  covered  it 
with  fir  branches,  and  placed  sweetly  smelling  herbs  in  it ;  he  sent 
for  neighboring  chiefs,  and  next  day  all  went  in  their  best  array  to 
the  Wokwuk,  bearing  water  in  the  finest  basket  of  the  village,  and 
carrying  a  large  oak  slab  and  a  rope.  They  found  the  Wokwuk 
facing  north,  and  went  near  him.  The  chief  lighted  his  pipe, 
blew  the  smoke  toward  every  side,  and  said  to  the  Wokwuk,  — 

"  You  have  come  to  see  us ;  we  have  come  to  salute  you.  You 
have  come  to  show  yourself.  You  are  a  great  person,  and  all  the 
Wintus  in  the  country  will  hear  of  you  ;  all  the  chiefs  in  every 
place  will  speak  of  you.  I  am  glad  that  you  are  here.  I  am  glad 
that  you  have  come  to  my  country." 

He  talked  more  to  the  Wokwuk  ;  spoke  very  nicely.  Next  he 
took  water  in  his  mouth  and  blew  it  around  in  every  direction. 
After  that  the  chief  smoked  a  fragrant  root  instead  of  tobacco,  blow 
ing  the  smoke  toward  the  Wokwuk,  speaking  to  him  with  great 
respect. 

"  Now  we  will  take  you  home  with  us,"  said  the  chief.  They 
carried  the  oak  slab  to  the  Wokwuk  ;  he  did  not  stir.  They 


496  Notes 

pushed  him  onto  the  slab,  tied  one  leg  to  it,  then  took  him  home, 
placed  the  slab  in  the  shed,  and  untied  the  Wokwuk.  He  remained 
two  months  there,  never  ate  anything,  never  tried  to  escape. 

Every  morning  they  talked  to  the  Wokwuk.  During  two  months 
no  one  went  to  hunt,  no  one  ate  venison  or  sucker  fish.  Finally, 
all  the  Wintus  were  invited  and  all  the  Yanas,  —  a  great  assembly. 
They  saluted  the  Wokwuk,  each  chief  addressed  him  ;  last  of  all 
came  a  chief  from  Wini  Mem,  named  Topitot,  leading  a  black 
bear.  This  bear  walked  erect  like  a  man.  He  had  bands  of  por 
cupine  quills  around  his  fore  and  hind  legs,  and  a  buckskin  band 
covered  with  the  red  scalps  of  woodpeckers  around  his  head.  The 
bear  bowed  down  to  the  Wokwuk,  and  the  chief  addressed  him. 
When  other  chiefs  spoke  to  the  Wokwuk  during  the  two  previous 
months,  he  never  raised  his  head  or  gave  a  sign  of  answer  ;  but  when 
Topitot  had  finished,  he  raised  his  head  and  gave  out  a  sound 
which  was  loud  and  long. 

Next  morning  the  chief  of  the  village  wished  good  luck  to  all, 
then  he  brought  a  rope,  hung  Wokwuk  to  a  tree,  and  took  his  life. 
He  plucked  him,  gave  the  quills  to  the  chiefs,  including  himself,  cut 
off  the  head,  kept  it ;  the  body  he  carried  to  an  ant-hill ;  when  the 
ants  had  taken  all  the  flesh,  the  bones  were  separated  from  each 
other  and  given  to  each  chief. 

When  the  chiefs  went  home,  they  spoke  to  the  quills  and  bones 
as  if  praying,  at  first  every  morning,  then  once  a  week,  then  once 
a  month,  and  continued  this  for  a  long  time.  After  that  each  put 
away  his  bone  or  his  quill  in  a  triple  covering.  The  bone  or 
feather  was  wrapped  first  in  a  cover  of  the  red  scalps  of  woodpeckers 
sewed  together ;  outside  that  were  two  mats  made  of  reeds. 

The  owner  of  a  Wokwuk  bone  or  quill  does  not  show  it  to  any 
one,  not  even  to  his  wife  or  children.  When  he  dies  he  leaves  it 
to  a  son,  or,  if  he  has  no  son,  to  a  daughter.  The  possession  of 
Wokwuk  relics  gives  luck,  but  the  owner  must  never  eat  venison  or 
sucker  ;  these  are  offensive  to  Wokwuk. 

Five  years  after  the  quills  were  put  away  only  the  stems  of  them 
were  left;  five  years  later  they  were  as  fresh  as  if  just  plucked.  If 
the  quills  were  to  be  exposed  before  people,  the  people  would  all 
die  ;  if  to  one  person,  that  person  would  perish. 


Notes 


497 


The  owner  of  a  quill  or  bone  unwraps  it  occasionally,  places 
water  near  it,  and  talks  to  it,  saying:  "  Give  us  good  luck  ;  make 
us  well.  I  give  you  water,  you  give  us  strength."  If  he  points 
the  relic  and  mentions  a  person's  name,  saying,  "  Make  him  sick," 
that  man  will  die  surely. 

If  the  owner  of  a  Wokwuk  relic  dies  without  heirs,  the  bone  or 
quill  is  sunk  in  a  sacred  spring  ;  if  it  were  buried  with  the  owner, 
all  would  get  sick  and  die. 

Both  feathers  and  bones  grow  old  in  appearance,  and  later  on 
they  are  as  fresh  looking  and  perfect  as  ever. 


NORWAN 

NEXT  to  "  Olelbis  "  stands  "  Norwan,"  both  for  value  and  inter 
est.  This  remarkable  myth  recalls  forcibly  the  Helen  of  Troy  tale, 
both  in  its  general  plan  and  in  many  particulars. 

The  great  war  among  the  first  people  is  caused  by  the  woman 
Norwan.  Norbis  Kiemila,  who  claims  to  be  her  husband,  is  de 
scended  from  the  heavenly  white  oak  which  forms  part  of  Olel- 
panti  Hlut,  the  divine  mansion  in  the  "  Central  Blue." 

Norwan's  full  name  is  Pom  Norwan  en  Pitchen,  that  is,  daughter 
of  the  land  on  the  southern  border.  She  has  another  name  :  Hluyuk 
Tikimit,  which  means  the  dancing  porcupine.  Her  residence,  or 
hlut,  was  Norwan  Buli,  Norwan  Mountain.  The  Yana  name  of 
this  mountain  is  Wahkanopa,  which  means  the  son  of  Wahkalu. 
Wahkalu  is  Mount  Shasta,  and  Wahkanopa  Lassen's  Butte. 

Norwan,  or  Hluyuk  Tikimit,  the  dancing  porcupine,  has  still  a 
third  name,  Bastepomas  pokte,  the  food-giving  or  food-producing 
woman.  In  her  quality  of  producer  she  occupies  a  position  in 
Wintu  mythology  similar  to  that  of  the  divine  descendant  of  the 
earth  and  the  sun  in  the  Algonkin  religious  system.  This  Algon- 
kin  myth  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  significant,  not  among 
creation,  but  among  action  myths.  And  here  I  beg  to  call  atten 
tion  again  to  the  distinction  which  I  make  between  the  two  classes 
of  myths. 

32 


Notes 


Creation  myths  relate  always  to  what  was  done  among  the 
"  first  people  in  the  world  which  preceded  this,"  while  creation 
was  going  on,  or  more  correctly,  perhaps,  during  the  time  of  those 
transformations  or  metamorphoses  from  which  resulted  the  present 
world  and  the  order  of  things  contained  therein. 

Action  myths  relate  to  ever-recurrent  processes  in  nature  which 
began  as  soon  as  the  sun  had  his  course  marked  out  for  him  and  the 
physical  world  around  us  received  its  present  form  and  fashion  ; 
this  happened  before  all  the  "first  people  "  were  metamorphosed. 
The  vast  majority  had  received  the  physical  bodies  which  they  have 
at  present,  but  a  few  were  left,  and  they  remained  in  various  places 
till  they  saw  or  heard  the  new  race,  the  Indians.  Action  myths, 
therefore,  relate  to  various  processes  in  nature  which  never  cease. 
For  us  the  most  important  are  those  involved  in  the  relations  be 
tween  the  sun  and  the  earth. 

The  great  Algonkin  sun  and  earth  myth  which  has  many  vari 
ants  and  vast  wealth  of  detail,  describes  those  relations  more  pro 
foundly  and  broadly  than  any  other  Indian  myth  devoted  to  the 
same  subject. 

The  Algonkin  myth  in  its  most  extended  form  describes  the 
earth  maiden  as  becoming  a  mother  through  being  looked  at  by  the 
sun.  She  gives  birth  to  a  daughter  who  is  called  Wakos  ikwe, 
the  fox  woman  ;  this  daughter  becomes  the  mother  of  a  great  hero, 
the  highest  benefactor  of  aboriginal  man  in  America.  He  is  the 
giver  of  food  and  of  every  good  gift  by  which  life  is  supported. 

Of  this  myth  there  is  a  shorter  version  in  which  the  hero  is  born 
of  the  earth  directly  ;  he  is  her  son,  not  her  grandson. 

This  benefactor  and  food-giver  is  no  other  than  that  warm  air 
which  we  see  dancing  and  quivering  above  the  earth  in  fine  weather. 
Descended  from  the  sun  and  the  earth,  this  warm  air  supports  all 
things  that  have  vegetable  or  animal  existence. 

This  myth  in  its  more  extended  form,  the  one  to  which  I  have 
referred  first,  is  similar  to  that  which  Schoolcraft  pieced  together 
and  which  Longfellow  took  as  the  foundation  of  his  beautiful  poem 
"Hiawatha,"  though  not  identical  with  it. 

Schoolcraft,  with  his  amazing  propensity  to  make  mistakes,  with 
his  remarkable  genius  for  missing  the  truth  and  confusing  everything 


Notes  499 

with  which  he  came  in  contact,  gave  the  name  Hiawatha  to  his 
patchwork. 

Hiawatha  is  an  Iroquois  name  connected  with  Central  New  York. 
The  Iroquois  were  mortal  enemies  of  the  Algonkins,  and  the  feud 
between  these  two  stocks  was  the  most  inveterate  and  far  reaching 
of  any  in  America.  It  was,  in  fact,  the  only  Indian  tribal  hatred 
that  rose  to  historical  importance,  and  it  was  by  the  adherence  of 
the  Iroquois,  the  "Five  Nations"  of  New  York,  that  English 
dominion  in  North  America  was  established. 

The  Algonkin  force  of  America  was  on  the  French  side,  but  the 
Iroquois  held  all  water  communication  between  Lake  Erie  and 
Ontario,  the  greatest  strategic  position  on  the  continent  at  that 
period.  They  cut  the  Algonkins  in  two,  and  prevented  France 
from  receiving  their  undivided  assistance. 

Had  the  whole  Algonkin  power  aided  the  French,  they  would 
have  had  great  chances  of  victory.  Had  the  Iroquois  been  friends 
of  the  Algonkins  and  acted  with  them,  there  could  have  been  no 
doubt  of  the  triumph  of  France  at  that  juncture.  But  the  Algonkins 
and  Iroquois  were  mortal  enemies ;  the  Algonkins  were  friendly  to 
the  French,  the  Iroquois  to  the  English. 

In  the  face  of  all  this  Schoolcraft  makes  Hiawatha,  who  is 
peculiarly  Iroquois,  the  leading  personage  in  his  Algonkin  conglom 
erate  ;  Hiawatha  being  an  Iroquois  character  of  Central  New  York 
(he  is  connected  more  particularly  with  the  region  about  Schenec- 
tady),  while  the  actions  to  which  Schoolcraft  relates  him  pertain 
to  the  Algonkin  Chippewas  near  Lake  Superior. 

It  is  as  if  Europeans  of  some  future  age  were  to  have  placed 
before  them  a  great  epic  narrative  of  French  heroic  adventure  in 
which  Prince  Bismarck  would  appear  as  the  chief  and  central  Gallic 
figure  in  the  glory  and  triumph  of  France.  The  error  and  absurdity 
would  be,  as  the  Germans  say,  colossal,  but  not  greater  or  more 
towering  than  in  Schoolcraft' s  Hiawatha.  Longfellow,  of  course, 
could  not  free  himself  from  the  error  contained  in  his  material  ;  but 
the  error,  which  was  not  his  own  and  which  he  had  no  means  of 
correcting  at  that  time,  did  not  prevent  him  from  giving  his  work 
that  peculiar  charm  which  is  inseparable  from  everything  which  he 
did. 


500  Notes 

In  the  original  Algonkin  myth  the  hero  to  which  Hiawatha  has 
been  accommodated  was  a  child  of  the  sun  and  the  earth.  What 
ever  his  names  in  the  numerous  versions  found  in  the  twenty-eight 
languages  of  this  richest  and  most  varied  Indian  stock  of  North 
America,  he  is  always  the  bounteous  benefactor  of  man,  the  kindest 
of  all  divine  powers  that  have  ever  appeared  upon  earth.  He  is 
always  in  reality  that  warm  light  which  dances  and  quivers  before 
us  in  fine  weather,  and  through  which  every  man,  beast,  reptile, 
insect,  fish,  bird,  and  plant  lives  and  flourishes. 

This  myth  has  received  on  the  Pacific  coast,  or  more  correctly  on 
parts  of  it,  a  different  treatment  from  that  given  it  east  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  There  the  benefactor  is  a  female,  a  daughter  of  the 
earth.  Nothing  is  said  as  to  who  her  father  was.  It  is  significant 
that  she  dances  all  day,  that  she  is  called  the  quivering  porcupine- 
and  the  food-producing  woman. 

In  Indian  myths  from  New  York  to  California  the  porcupine  is 
ever  connected  with  light ;  in  some  cases  it  is  the  sun  himself.  In 
"  Tulchuherris  "  of  this  volume,  Sas  (the  sun)  carries  a  porcupine 
quiver,  and  is  advised  never  to  lay  it  aside,  for  as  long  as  he  keeps  it 
on  his  shoulder  he  is  safe  from  his  children  the  grizzlies  (the  clouds) 
who  wish  to  kill  him. 

In  California  Norwan,  daughter  of  the  earth,  occupies  in  part 
the  place  of  the  Algonkin  hero,  the  child  of  the  sun  and  the  earth. 
Her  usual  life  is  of  the  housekeeping  order  ;  she  has  great  supplies 
of  food  in  her  hlut,  or  residence,  and  she  goes  on  dancing  each  day 
until  evening.  The  great  and  characteristic  event  of  her  life,  her 
departure  from  the  dance  with  her  partner,  is  of  the  same  scope  and 
meaning  as  the  last  journey  of  Hiawatha  when  he  sails  to  the  west 
and  vanishes  in  the  regions  of  sunset.  The  hero  of  the  Algonkin 
myth  must  go,  he  cannot  stay  ;  he  must  vanish  in  the  ruddy  glow  of 
evening  because  he  is  the  warm  dancing  air  of  the  daytime.  He 
must  go  whether  he  will  or  not.  Before  he  goes,  however,  he 
cheers  all  whom  he  leaves  behind  by  telling  them  that  another  will 
come  from  the  east  to  take  his  place  and  comfort  them.  Next 
morning,  of  course,  the  comforter  comes,  for  the  life  career  of  the 
Algonkin  hero  is  included  in  the  compass  of  a  single  day,  and  a  suc 
cessor  is  bound  to  come  as  surely  as  he  himself  is  bound  to  go. 


Notes  501 

Norwan  dances,  and  then  goes  away  with  her  partner,  to  the 
desperate  vexation  of  Norbis  Kiemila,  her  would-be  husband,  who 
wishes  to  have  her  to  himself  exclusively.  She  dances,  as  she  says, 
without  knowing  it  and  goes  away  unconsciously.  She  dances  with 
this  partner  because  she  cannot  help  it,  and  departs  imperceptibly  to 
herself. 

Who  are  the  rivals  for  her  person  ? 

Norbis  means  " living  in  the  south;"  he  lives  in  the  southeast, 
the  land  of  greatest  productiveness,  in  the  region  of  Hiihli  Piu  Hlut 
Ton,  that  most  beautiful  of  houses  on  earth,  and  second  only  to  the 
divine  mansion  in  the  "  Central  Blue."  He  is  descended  from  one 
of  the  white  oaks  in  the  heavenly  house. 

The  person  who  was  metamorphosed  afterward  into  the  red  wiu 
bird  (Tede  Wiu)  is  his  rival,  the  person  with  whom  Norwan  left 
the  dance,  thus  causing  the  first  war  in  the  world.  Was  this  person 
the  red  of  evening  which  became  Tede  Wiu  afterward?  If  we 
acknowledge  that  he  was,  and  if  we  are  willing  to  admit  Norbis  as 
the  representative  of  all  people  living  east  of  the  west,  we  have  at 
once  the  two  parties  to  an  irreconcilable  rivalry  in  the  most  vital  of 
questions,  the  possession  of  warm  sunlight,  and  that  most  vital  of 
questions  is  embodied  in  the  person  of  a  woman.  That  was  the 
cause  of  the  first  war  in  the  world  and  of  fell  strife.  A  story  sub 
stantially  the  same  as  this  was,  we  may  think,  the  ultimate  basis  of 
the  Iliad.  The  mythic  origin  of  the  particular  tale  from  which 
Homer  constructed  his  epic  had  been  forgotten,  that  may  be  granted, 
but  there  is  little  doubt  that  in  rustic  Greece  men  might  have  found 
a  similar  tale  which  was  mythologic  beyond  peradventure  ;  and  the 
Helen  of  that  tale,  or  her  equivalent,  was  a  person  like  Norwan. 
With  the  materials  at  our  command  even  now,  we  have  enough  to 
indicate  this,  for  was  not  Helen  the  daughter  of  Leda  and  the  divine 
swan,  a  person  to  be  fought  for  with  all  available  energy  in  the 
world  at  that  period,  and  to  be  fought  for  in  a  war  which  surpassed 
in  importance  all  that  have  ever  succeeded  it  ? 

Helen  of  Troy,  the  daughter  of  Leda  and  of  Zeus,  the  overarch 
ing  heaven,  with  all  its  light ;  Norwan,  daughter  of  the  earth,  with 
Lassen's  Butte,  California,  for  her  residence;  and  the  Algonkin 
hero  whose  place  is  taken  by  Hiawatha,  are  all  different  represen- 


502  Notes 

tatives  of  the  same  person,  different  expressions  for  the  same 
phenomenon  ;  and  that  person  or  phenomenon  is  the  warm  air 
which  dances  above  the  earth  in  fine  weather.  This  air,  in  one 
case  noted  here,  is  conceived  as  the  greatest  benefactor  of  man, 
that  being  who  gives  die  choicest  and  most  necessary  gifts  to  all, 
and,  in  the  other  two  cases,  as  a  priceless  treasure,  in  the  form  of  a 
woman  who  is  to  be  fought  for  with  all  the  valor  that  can  possibly 
be  summoned,  and  in  a  manner  that  in  Helen's  case  inspired 
the  noblest  epic  known  to  the  world  thus  far. 

These  three  cases  show  clearly  the  methods  of  mythology,  and 
prove  the  absolute  need  of  knowing  that  we  must  deal  (to  borrow 
mathematical  language)  with  constants  and  variables  taken  together, 
—  knowing  clearly,  meanwhile,  which  are  constants,  —  and  not  with 
variables  only,  supposing  them  to  be  constants,  or  with  constants 
and  variables  mixed  together  without  being  able  to  distinguish 
which  belong  to  one  class  and  which  to  the  other.  Were  some 
writer  to  deal  with  the  prehensile  capacity  in  animated  crea 
tures,  and  describe  how  it  is  exercised,  he  would  find  a  variety 
in  the  organs  used  for  grasping  things  which  would  represent  very 
well  the  variety  of  methods  employed  by  primitive  man  in  my 
thology  to  represent  the  same  phenomenon  or  force  in  nature. 

If  man  be  considered  as  standing  on  his  hind  feet,  his  fore  feet 
(the  hands)  are  his  grasping  instruments.  With  the  elephant  the 
nose  is  prehensile  ;  with  some  monkeys  the  tail  performs  this  office, 
in  part  at  least.  With  tigers  and  lions,  dogs  and  cats,  the  mouth 
and  teeth  are  prehensile  instruments  of  great  force  and  precision. 
With  the  bear  the  forepaws  are  almost  hands.  The  two  feet 
with  their  talons,  which  correspond  to  the  hind  feet  in  quadrupeds, 
are  the  graspers  with  birds  of  prey,  working  instruments  with 
domestic  fowl,  and  weapons  with  some  other  birds,  as,  for  instance, 
the  ostrich. 

Take  another  case,  the  teeth,  one  office  of  which  is  to  reduce 
food  to  fine  particles  ;  with  all  mammals  they  serve  this  purpose, 
and,  in  many  cases,  others  also.  Birds  have  no  teeth,  but  they 
have  a  substitute  in  the  gizzard,  which  they  line  with  gravel  and 
other  hard  particles ;  and  this  second  stomach,  by  contraction, 
grinds  to  pulp  grain  and  other  food  already  softened  in  the  crop  or 


Notes  503 


first  stomach.  The  boa-constrictor  has  no  teeth  and  no  second 
stomach  ;  it  chews  by  crushing  between  its  body  and  a  tree  the 
beast  which  it  is  to  swallow.  The  chewing  mouth  of  the  boa  has 
for  one  jaw  the  tree,  for  the  other  its  own  body  ;  between  those 
two  jaws  it  reduces  to  a  soft  mass  the  carcass  of  the  creature  to  be 
swallowed. 

In  considering  the  various  personages  in  mythology,  it  is  all 
important  to  discover,  first  of  all,  what  they  are,  and,  next,  what 
they  do.  The  office  filled  by  a  certain  personage  in  a  group  of 
myths  belonging  to  a  given  race  or  tribe  may  be  filled  by  an  en 
tirely  different  kind  of  character  in  a  similar  set  of  myths  of  another 
tribe.  This  results  sometimes  from  different  geographic  and  cli 
matic  conditions,  and  sometimes  from  looking  at  the  phenomenon 
or  process  of  nature  in  another  way.  There  is  as  much  variety  in 
the  treatment  of  one  subject  by  various  tribes  as  there  is  variety  in 
prehensile  members  and  the  use  of  them  among  grasping  creatures, 
or  as  there  is  difference  in  the  manner  of  reducing  food  to  fineness 
among  quadrupeds,  birds,  and  boa-constrictors. 


TULCHUHERRIS 

TULCHUHERRIS  resembles  certain  European  tales  more  than  any 
other  in  this  collection.  Apart  from  other  merits,  the  value  of 
such  a  tale  in  comparative  mythology  is  evident. 

The  old  woman,  Nomhawena,  is  an  earthworm  now ;  the 
Indian  tale-teller  says  that  there  is  no  doubt  on  that  point.  Pom 
Pokaila,  her  second  name  (Pom,  earth  ;  Pokalia,  old  woman)  ad 
mits  of  two  translations,  —  old  woman  of  the  earth,  or  old  woman 
Earth.  In  the  first  case  it  would  apply  to  Nomhawena,  who  digs  the 
earth  always,  is  a  woman  of  the  earth  ;  in  the  second,  it  would 
mean  the  earth  itself.  The  earth  is,  in  fact,  Tulchuherris's 
mother.  Nomhawena  is  his  grandmother,  in  a  titular  sense  at 
least.  In  more  countries  of  the  world  than  one,  grandmother 
is  the  title  of  a  midwife  ;  and  the  office  of  midwife  was  performed 
by  Nomhawena  at  the  birth  of  Tulchuherris. 


5°4 


Notes 


We  may  picture  to  ourselves  the  scenes  and  circumstances  of 
Tulchuherris' s  birth.  Root  Flat  is  one  of  those  level  places  where 
innumerable  little  piles  of  fine  soil  are  brought  to  the  surface  by 
the  labor  of  earthworms.  Over  this  valley,  as  over  so  many 
others  on  the  Pacific  coast,  fog  is  spread  after  sunrise,  —  fog  which 
comes  up  from  the  earth  dug  in  every  direction  by  Nomhawena's 
people.  In  this  fog  is  Tulchuherris,  the  mighty  son  of  the  earth  ; 
in  other  words,  lightning,  electricity,  that  son  of  the  earth  who 
comes  to  maturity  so  speedily. 

Kulitek  Herit,  brother  of  Tulchuherris,  for  whom  Nomhawena 
mourned  so  deeply,  is  now  the  white  feather  which  appears  some 
times  in  the  black  tail  of  the  black  vulture.  Komos  Kulit  is  the 
Wintu  name  of  this  vulture.  There  were  three  great  feathers 
among  the  Wintus,  transformations  of  three  great  persons  among  the 
first  people.  The  first  of  these  is  the  white  feather  just  mentioned, 
which  is  the  metamorphosed  Kulitek ;  the  second  is  the  longest 
black  tail-feather  of  the  black  vulture,  which  is  the  present  form  of 
Hamam  Herit,  who  fought  in  the  Norwan  struggle ;  the  third  is 
the  longest  wing-feather  of  the  same  vulture.  This  feather  is  the 
metamorphosed  Tubalus  Herit. 

The  first  two  feathers  are  used  on  great  occasions  in  war  ;  the 
third  feather,  only  by  doctors  or  Hlahis. 

In  Indian  mythology  there  is  a  subtle,  but  close  and  firm,  con 
nection  between  the  sunflower  and  the  sun,  which  is  illustrated 
strikingly  in  this  story.  The  old  woman,  by  her  magic  art,  burns 
great  piles  of  big  trees  in  two  or  three  minutes,  while  a  handful  of 
sunflower  roots  is  beyond  her  power  and  keeps  the  fire  alive  for 
years.  This  illustration,  in  the  material  world,  of  the  Indians, 
reminds  one  of  the  still,  small  voice  in  the  spiritual  world  of  the 
Hebrews.  The  sunflower  root  in  this  Tulchuherris  tale  is  invin 
cible  from  its  connection  with  the  sun,  the  one  source  of  light  and 
heat ;  the  still,  small  voice  is  considered  almighty  because  of  its 
connection  with  the  whole  moral  life  and  light  that  exists  in  the 
universe. 

The  two  obsidian  knives  in  Sas's  house  are  an  interesting  re 
minder  of  the  Damocles  sword. 

In  the  case  of  Tichelis,   now  ground  squirrel,  and  Hawt,  the 


Notes  505 


present  lamprey  eel,  we  have  cases  of  personal  collision  resulting  in 
transformation.  In  the  Wintu  mythology  this  is  exceptional,  and 
in  this  instance  one-sided,  for  the  vanquished  make  no  attempt  to 
transform  Tulchuherris. 


SEDIT   AND   THE   TWO    BROTHERS 
HUS 

SEDIT  was  in  favor  of  death  for  men,  and  gives  his  reasons.  It 
cannot  be  said  that  he  brought  death  into  the  world,  but  he  stopped 
the  work  which  would  have  kept  it  out. 

His  discourse  with  the  Hus  brothers  is  curious  ;  it  represents  the 
immortality  and  goodness  of  a  weak  and  limited  creature  like  man 
as  barren  and  monotonous.  The  comparison  of  this  conversation 
with  the  account  of  Adam  and  Eve  before  and  after  the  Fall  is  not 
without  interest. 

The  critical,  unbelieving,  disobedient  Sedit,  who  is  so  willing  to 
make  life  in  the  world  varied  and  interesting  through  death,  so 
long  as  the  question  stands  apart  from  his  own  immortality,  and 
his  great  concern  and  anxiety  when  he  thinks  that  he  must  himself 
die,  is'brought  out  in  good  relief. 

The  earnest  and  honest  Hus  brothers  stand  in  strong  contrast  to 
the  sneering  Sedit.  The  Hus  character  is  a  lofty  one  in  Wintu 
mythology.  This  may  seem  strange  to  a  new  student  of  Indian 
ideas,  when  he  remembers  what  a  foul  creature  the  turkey  buz 
zard  is. 

The  buzzard  is  considered  as  a  purifier  on  earth,  and  surely  in 
regions  like  Central  America  the  service  rendered  by  the  bird  in 
this  regard  is  memorable.  The  buzzard  is  everywhere  the  most 
frequent  and  striking  figure  in  Guatemala  and  Southern  Mexico,  both 
in  city  and  country.  In  California  there  is  a  fine  of  five  dollars 
for  killing  one. 

The  original  Hus  character  is  conceived  by  the  Wintus  as  striv 
ing  toward  religious  purification  as  strenuously  as  the  earthly  buz 
zard  works  at  cleaning  the  earth  of  carrion  of  various  descriptions. 


506 


Notes 


The  following  remarks  accompanied  this  tale  when  published  in 
"The  Sun":- 

This  tale  of  Sedit  and  the  Hus  brothers  is  a  splendid  bit  of  abo 
riginal  American  philosophy,  and  touches  on  topics  which  have 
exercised  many  minds  besides  those  of  primitive  America.  The 
subject  of  life  and  death  is  treated  here  so  simply,  and  at  the  same 
time  so  well,  that  I  believe  few  readers  would  ask  for  explanation 
or  comment. 

Some  statements,  however,  touching  Sedit  are  not  out  of  place, 
I  think.  The  coyote  is  very  prominent  in  the  mythology  of  every 
region  where  he  is  found.  The  basis  of  his  character  is  the  same 
in  all  myths  that  I  have  collected.  He  is  a  tremendous  glutton, 
boastful,  talkative,  cunning,  exceptionally  inclined  to  the  other  sex, 
full  of  curiosity,  a  liar,  a  trickster,  deceiving  most  adroitly,  and  is 
deceived  himself  at  times.  He  comes  to  grief  frequently  because 
of  his  passions  and  peculiar  qualities.  He  is  an  artful  dodger,  who 
has  points  in  common  with  the  devil  of  European  folk-lore,  being 
in  many  cases  an  American  counterpart  of  this  curious  and  interest 
ing  personage. 

Of  Northern  Pacific  coast  tribes  in  the  United  States,  the  Modocs 
have  given  most  distinction  to  the  coyote.  Among  them  the  chief 
coyote  is  a  trickster  on  the  grandest  scale,  and  has  obtained  posses 
sion  of  the  indestructible  disk  of  the  sun,  through  which  he  is  im 
mortal,  or,  at  least,  is  renewed  every  day  to  carry  that  luminary. 
Because  of  his  vanity  and  boastfulness,  the  coyote  undertakes 
various  enterprises  in  which  he  fails  through  his  passions. 

Sacred  springs  and  small  lakes  in  the  mountains  are  very  promi 
nent  in  the  Modoc  religion.  A  young  man  who  hopes  to  be  a 
magician  or  a  doctor  goes  to  these  mountain  springs  before  he  is 
married  or  knows  woman.  There  he  fasts  and  watches  a  week  or 
longer  until  he  is  nearly  exhausted.  If  he  is  to  be  a  magician  or 
doctor,  spirits  appear  to  him  in  this  interval.  A  coyote  went  to 
those  mountains  (in  the  time  before  men  were  on  earth,  of  course), 
hoping  to  gain  great  magic  power,  but  on  the  way  he  ate  various 
kinds  of  food  hateful  to  the  spirits  of  the  springs.  These  spirits 
were  disgusted  with  the  odor  of  food  that  came  from  him,  struck 
him  with  mange,  drove  him  away,  made  him  hungry,  foul,  and 


Notes  507 

wretched  forever.  He  ran  away,  howling  and  lamenting,  without 
hope  of  pardon.  From  this  coyote  are  descended  an  especially 
bad  breed  of  coyotes  in  Oregon.  They  are  all  foul  and  hungry 
to  this  day.  In  dark  windy  nights  the  mangy  descendants  of  that 
glutton  are  heard  bewailing  the  fault  of  their  ancestor,  their  own 
fallen  state  and  lost  happiness. 

The  Shasta  Indians  have  a  long  tale  of  a  coyote  whose  fond 
grandmother  tried  to  make  him  a  great  sorcerer.  When  the  time 
came,  she  sent  him  to  the  sacred  mountain  and  gave  every  instruc 
tion.  He  was  not  to  stop,  eat,  or  drink  on  the  road,  or  to  speak 
to  any  one.  When  about  two-thirds  of  the  distance,  he  passed  near 
a  house  ;  inside  was  loud  thumping  and  hammering  ;  a  frog  wo 
man  was  pounding  seeds  and  singing  ;  her  house  was  full  of  food  ; 
coyote  caught  the  odor  of  it,  stopped,  could  not  resist  the  tempta 
tion  to  go  in.  He  went  in,  ate  and  drank  everything  put  before 
him.  In  Indian  mythology  frog  women  are  not  vestals  ;  so  break 
ing  his  fast  and  gluttony  were  not  his  only  offences.  He  had 
fallen  past  redemption.  On  leaving  the  frog  woman's  house  he 
went  through  a  series  of  unmentionable  adventures,  at  the  end  of 
which  there  was  nothing  left  but  his  head,  which  was  in  a  pool  by 
the  wayside,  and  just  as  much  alive  as  ever. 

Two  sisters,  afterwards  ducks,  who  were  going  that  way,  found 
and  pitied  the  unfortunate.  It  was  not  easy  to  carry  him,  but  the 
younger  promised  to  do  so  if  he  would  shut  his  eyes  and  not  open 
them  till  she  set  him  down  on  his  grandmother's  threshold.  This 
condition  was  to  prevent  him  from  seeing  how  she  carried  him. 
When  half-way  home,  curiosity  overcame  him.  Though  only  a 
head,  he  opened  his  eyes  and  fell  to  the  ground. 

The  duck  woman  had  pity  again,  and  took  him  to  his  grand 
mother.  Loud  was  her  wailing  at  sight  of  her  lost  and  ruined 
grandson. 

Sedit  came  to  grief  through  peculiarities  of  character. 


508 


Notes 


HAWT 


THIS  myth  of  Hawt  is  very  curious  and  subtle ;  it  is  one  of  the 
best  told  tales  that  I  have  found  anywhere.  There  is  a  largeness 
about  it,  and,  at  the  same  time,  a  perfectly  firm  grasp  on  the  part 
of  Waida  Dikit,  the  master  of  the  assembly,  that  produce  a  grand 
effect. 

Though  the  story  is  long,  it  needs,  I  think,  no  explanation  be 
yond  what  is  stated  in  the  introduction  and  in  preceding  notes, 
except  some  remarks  touching  the  character  of  Hawt. 

Hawt,  the  great  musician,  is  identified  with  water  ;  he  is,  as  it 
were,  the  spirit  of  water  made  visible. 

In  this  myth,  only  the  musical  powers  of  Hawt  are  exhibited  ; 
but  in  the  Yana  Tirukala,  which  means  the  same  thing  as 
Hawt  (lamprey  eel),  we  see  the  active  side  of  the  same  per 
sonage,  we  see  him  as  a  worker.  Original  is  Hawt  indeed,  — 
a  living  flute  fingering  his  own  body  as  he  would  an  instrument ; 
inhaling  air  and  blowing  it  out  through  the  apertures  in  his  sides. 

The  present  lamprey  eel  has  marks,  as  it  were,  of  holes  in  his 
sides. 


NORWANCHAKUS   AND    KERIHA 

THIS  tale  contains  actions  and  a  number  of  personages  difficult 
to  identify,  because  their  names  are  merely  epithets.  Eltuluma 
means  "  he  swims  in  ;  "  but  who  it  is  that  swims  in  we  know  not. 
Keriha  seems  connected  with  ducks,  from  the  fact  that  he  wore  a 
duck-skin  all  his  life  on  earth,  and,  when  he  threw  off  this  skin, 
all  ducks  were  produced  from  it. 

Norwanchakus  means  the  southern  end  of  that  staff  or  stick  to 
which  was  attached  the  net  with  which  these  two  brothers  dragged 
Pui  Mem  and  Bohema  Mem,  and  named  each  place  from  the 
thing  which  came  into  the  net  in  front  of  it. 

Nodal  Monoko  (the  little  man  who  ate  so  many  salmon  and 
sturgeons,  and  carried  so  many  away  in  his  bag)  means  "  sweet 


Notes  509 


in  the  south."  He  has  another  name,  Nodal  Wehlinmuk,  which 
means  "salt  in  the  south."  At  first  he  is  hostile  to  grizzly  bears, 
but  later  has  intimate  relations  with  them  and  marries  one.  His 
acts  point  strongly  toward  electricity  or  lightning.  His  bag,  in 
which  the  whole  world  could  be  put  away,  may  well  have  been 
a  cloud  bag. 

Norwinte  means  "  seen  in  the  south  ;  "  but,  again,  we  have  no 
knowledge  of  the  person  seen.  Poni  Norwanen  Pitchen,  the  full 
name  of  Norwan,  is  also  an  epithet  meaning  "  daughter  of  the  land 
on  the  southern  border,"  and  would  convey  no  information  if  it 
stood  alone  ;  but  as  Norwan,  in  addition  to  many  other  details,  is 
also  the  dancing  porcupine  and  the  food-producing  woman,  we 
know  who  she  is. 

The  existence  of  Puriwa  and  Sanihas  (darkness  and  daylight) 
before  the  sun  was  in  the  world,  is  most  interesting.  This  is  one 
of  many  proofs  that  every  phenomenon  was  considered  to  be  inde 
pendent.  Daylight  is  a  personage  quite  apart  from  the  sun,  who 
is  merely  that  old  Sas  who  fought  with  Tulchuherris,  and  who 
travels  through  the  sky  every  day  from  east  to  west  in  utter  loneli 
ness.  He  carries  that  glowing  torch  which  we  see  as  he  moves  on 
his  way  through  the  sky  ;  but  the  light  of  day  is  a  separate  person 
age.  Similar  considerations  apply  to  Puriwa,  darkness  or  night, 
who  is  also  a  distinct  and  independent  entity. 

The  struggle  between  Keriha  and  Hubit  has  much  charm  for 
Wintus  ;  they  laugh  heartily  at  the  recital  of  it. 


KELE   AND    SEDIT 

OLD  Kele,  the  mountain  wolf,  is  evidently  one  of  the  first 
people  sent  down  from  the  sky  by  Olelbis  ;  not  in  part,  but  in  per 
son.  His  sons  and  daughters  were  not  his  children,  but  his 
creation ;  he  made  them  from  sticks,  just  as  Jupka  made  the 
Yanas  at  Jigulmatu. 

In  the  note  to  "  Kol  Tibichi  "  is  a  Wintu  account  of  the  character 
and  actions  of  Kele's  sons  and  daughters.  A  very  interesting  and 


5 1  o  Notes 

valuable  account  this  is ;  it  explains  the  werewolf  idea  perfectly. 
The  wolf  man  of  Northern  Europe,  the  Lykantbropos  of  the  Greeks, 
must  have  been  just  such  a  person  as  Kele's  sons  and  daughters, 
who  were  people  apparently  when  they  went  forth  to  harm 
Indians,  but  who  turned  into  wolves  when  they  were  discovered 
and  rebuked.  At  home,  in  their  great  sweat-house,  those  people 
are  wolves ;  but  when  they  go  out  on  their  travels  up  and  down 
through  the  world,  they  are  exactly  like  Wintus,  save  only  the 
hairy  foot. 


KOL   TIBICHI 

IN  connection  with  this  tale  I  add  the  following  remarks  about 
one  of  the  two  modes  of  making  doctors,  and  about  certain  spirits. 
These  remarks  are  given,  as  nearly  as  possible,  in  the  form  of  the 
original  Wintu  narrative. 

I  have  added,  besides,  the  songs  of  four  great  existences,  or  gods. 
Every  individual  existence  in  Indian  mythology  has  its  own 
song.  This  song  refers  to  what  is  most  notable  in  the  actions  or 
character  of  that  existence.  The  given  song  is  sung  by  a  doctor 
immediately  after  its  spirit  of  that  existence  has  entered  him. 

Kol  Tibichi's  yapaitu  (yapaitu  is  another  name  for  one  of  the 
first  people),  the  rainbow,  would  not  leave  him  till  he  used  a 
woman's  red  apron  as  a  headband,  because  the  rainbow  is  con 
nected  with  the  catamenial  periods  of  Sanihas  (daylight). 

The  yapaitu  dokos  (yapaitu  missile),  mentioned  further  on,  is  a 
projection  of  the  spirit  itself  of  the  yapaitu.  Sometimes  it  flees 
from  the  patient  ;  the  duty  of  the  doctor,  in  such  a  case,  is  to  find 
the  dokos.  If  he  does  not,  it  may  return  to  the  sick  man  after 
the  doctor  has  gone  ;  and  in  that  case  the  last  condition  of  the 
patient  is  worse  than  the  first.  Generally,  however,  it  waits  to 
be  cast  out. 


Notes 


THE    MAKING    OF    DOCTORS    AMONG 
THE    WINTUS 

THE  chief  assists  always  in  this  ceremony,  because  a  doctor  can 
be  made  only  in  a  sweat-house.  Two  chiefs  may  consult  together 
and  agree  with  old  doctors  in  this  matter,  or  one  chief  may  do  so 
if  it  suits  him.  If  doctors  begin,  they  must  consult  the  chief,  be 
cause  he  owns  the  sweat-house.  The  doctors  and  the  chief  or 
chiefs  agree  upon  the  time,  and  then  give  out  the  news  that  on  a 
certain  night  they  are  going  to  create  doctors.  Young  persons  who 
wish  to  be  doctors  go  to  the  sweat-house  ;  most  of  the  old  people 
stay  at  home. 

The  men  heat  the  sweat-house,  shut  it  up  closely,  and  sit  down. 
Sweat  pours  from  them  like  rain.  When  they  have  sweated  suffi 
ciently,  all  go  to  the  river  and  swim.  After  that  the  people,  men 
and  women,  go  into  the  sweat-house.  One  doctor  or  two  will  be 
gin  to  sing.  Young  unmarried  men  or  women  who  are  candidates 
present  themselves.  The  doctors  suck  out  of  these  all  that  is  bad 
in  them,  all  that  is  impure,  unclean.  They  suck  the  forehead, 
breast,  back,  arms.  At  times  they  suck  out  blood ;  at  times  some 
thing  sharp  like  a  fine  bone  comes  out.  They  suck  out  every 
thing  that  is  evil.  When  they  have  finished  sucking,  the  doctor 
sings  again,  and  puts  a  yellowhammer's  feather  into  each  ear  of  the 
candidate.  The  feather  may  go  in  out  of  sight,  or  the  doctor  puts 
it  on  the  person's  head,  and  the  feather  may  sink  through  his  skull. 
Now  the  people  dance,  and  especially  the  candidates  for  the  dignity 
of  doctor.  The  chief  goes  out,  stands  on  the  housetop,  and  calls 
to  all  the  yapaitu  in  the  rocks,  in  the  water,  in  Olelpanti,  in  the 
trees,  in  bathing  springs,  to  come.  "  We  are  going  to  make  doc 
tors,"  says  the  chief;  "you  must  come  and  help  my  people." 

After  this  the  chief  goes  in,  and  they  close  every  hole,  every 
chink  in  the  sweat-house  ;  close  them  all  safely.  There  is  no  fire, 
no  light,  inside.  When  they  have  begun  to  talk  in  the  sweat- 
house,  one  doctor  calls  to  all  the  spirits  of  yapaitu  in  the  east,  west, 
north,  south  to  come.  Pretty  soon  a  spirit  may  be  heard  on  the 


5 1  2  Notes 

housetop ;  spirits  make  a  whistling  noise  when  they  come.  That 
moment  a  man  or  woman  falls  down,  and  all  know  that  the  spirit 
has  gone  into  that  person's  head. 

Now  the  doctor  calls,  "  One  more  ;  one  more  !  " 

In  a  moment  another  whistling  may  be  heard  as  the  spirit  touches 
the  housetop  and  goes  in.  Another  man  or  woman  falls ;  the 
spirit  has  entered  that  one.  The  persons  into  whom  spirits  have 
entered  know  nothing.  They  become  as  if  crazy,  as  if  they  had 
lost  their  wits.  They  try  to  go  to  the  housetop.  Some  try  to 
climb  the  central  pole  ;  some  want  to  leave  the  sweat-house  ;  they 
know  nothing  for  half  an  hour  perhaps. 

One  doctor  keeps  on  calling  spirits,  and  they  come  one  at  a  time. 
Many  doctors  may  be  made  in  one  night,  or  a  few,  or  none. 
There  are  always  many  people  in  the  sweat-house  to  whom  spirits 
will  not  come.  The  spirits  never  go  into  people  unless  they  like 
them.  The  spirit  looks  straight  through  a  man  and  knows  him 
immediately. 

The  people  dance  all  night.  There  is  no  light  in  the  sweat- 
house  ;  the  place  is  very  hot,  though  there  is  no  fire  there.  Next 
day  those  to  whom  spirits  have  come  tell  the  doctors  and  chief 
what  spirits  are  with  them.  If  not,  the  chief  may  give  them  food 
offensive  to  the  spirits,  and  the  spirits  would  kill  them  if  they  ate. 
Some  spirits  may  stay  two  or  three  days  with  a  person,  who  would 
then  sit  inside  all  the  time.  The  old  doctors  have  to  ask  this  spirit 
what  it  wishes,  and  make  it  go  away  for  a  time,  so  that  the  person 
possessed  may  eat  something.  Each  spirit  has  its  own  kind  of  food. 
If  we  give  a  man  something  that  the  spirit  has  never  eaten,  it  will 
kill  him  right  away  if  he  eats.  The  old  doctors  ask  his  spirit  what 
it  wants,  and  it  tells.  The  salmon  spirit,  for  instance,  likes  leaves 
or  water  ;  a  sucker  of  the  mountains  would  eat  mountain  pine  nuts, 
but  a  valley  sucker  needs  nuts  off  the  digger  pine.  If  strange  food 
is  placed  before  a  spirit,  it  is  afraid  ;  and  if  the  man  possessed  eats 
this  food,  the  spirit  will  kill  him.  Some  spirits  don't  like  buckskin, 
and  the  man  to  whom  they  have  come  must  not  wear  it. 

The  bad  spirits  are  numerous  ;  the  sucker  is  one  of  these,  and  so 
is  Kele  (the  mountain  wolf).  This  wolf  is  dangerous;  it  may 
hurt  you  in  this  way  :  you  may  think  that  you  see  a  good-looking 


Notes  5 1 3 

man  or  woman  on  the  mountain  or  in  the  woods.  If  you  go 
toward  this  person  or  this  person  comes  toward  you,  comes  near 
you,  speaks  to  you,  and  you  agree  with  it,  the  next  thing  you 
know  this  strange  man  or  woman  turns  into  a  wolf,  runs  away, 
and  your  mind  is  gone ;  the  wolf  has  taken  it.  The  sucker  does 
the  same,  but  disappears  befoie  your  eyes  or  turns  into  something 
ugly. 

There  are  three  causes  of  sickness.  The  first  is  when  a  good 
yapaitu  spirit  is  angry  with  a  man  and  strikes  him  with  his  spirit 
point  ;  second,  when  a  bad  spirit  puts  his  missile  in  a  man  and  makes 
him  sick  (the  spirit  in  this  case  does  it  at  his  own  instance);  third, 
when  an  evil  spirit  sends  his  missile  into  a  man  at  the  request  or 
prayer  of  a  doctor. 

When  the  dokos  or  missile  that  has  been  sent  into  a  man  is 
drawn  out  by  the  spirit  which  assists  the  curing  doctor,  the  doctor 
forces  the  dokos  to  tell  what  yapaitu  sent  it,  and  at  the  prayer  of 
what  doctor.  But  the  dokos  does  not  tell  the  truth  in  every  case, 
and  sometimes  accuses  the  wrong  person.  It  is  very  difficult, 
therefore,  to  know  surely  what  doctor  is  guilty  of  making  a  man 
sick.  A  doctor,  if  the  spirit  is  in  him  when  he  comes  to  see  a 
sick  man,  is  able  to  look  right  through  the  body  of  the  patient  and 
see  where  the  dokos  lies.  Sometimes  he  is  not  able  to  draw  it  out ; 
he  can  see  where  the  dokos  is,  that  is  all ;  but  if  his  spirit  were 
stronger  than  the  one  who  put  it  there,  he  could  draw  it  out  and 
cure  the  patient. 

There  is  danger,  however,  in  drawing  out  a  very  powerful  dokos 
by  sucking,  for  when  it  is  coming  out  of  the  sick  man's  body  it 
may  be  sent  down  through  the  mouth  of  the  doctor  into  his  body 
by  the  spirit  who  owns  it,  and  the  doctor  is  killed  in  this  way. 

A  doctor  may  have  twenty  or  thirty  spirits,  but  he  rarely  calls 
on  more  than  two  or  three,  and  it  is  seldom  that  any  great  number 
are  fitted  to  work  together  in  a  given  case. 

The  office  of  doctor  is  very  dangerous,  especially  if  the  doctor 
is  powerful.  If  he  has  many  spirits  to  help  him,  each  has  to  be 
pleased  in  its  own  special  way  ;  each  has  its  own  food,  prefers  cer 
tain  kinds,  and  dislikes  others.  The  doctor  must  not  eat  food  hate 
ful  to  his  spirits  :  if  he  does,  he  is  liable  to  be  killed.  A  man  who 

33 


5H 


Notes 


has  twenty  or  thirty  spirits  is  greatly  limited,  therefore,  in  his 
manner  of  living. 

Some  spirits  do  not  like  venison,  others  do  not  eat  fish  ;  the 
doctor  who  commands  these  spirits  must  eat  neither  venison  nor 
fish,  and  so  with  other  kinds  of  food  in  the  case  of  other  spirits. 

The  man  who  seeks  to  be  a  doctor  cannot  choose  his  spirits  ; 
they  come  to  him;  he  cannot  refuse  to  receive  them,  and  must 
live  in  a  way  to  please  them. 

Every  dokos  can  be  extracted  from  a  sick  man's  body  by  the  aid 
of  a  spirit  stronger  than  the  one  who  put  it  in. 

Among  other  spirits,  doctors  have  the  spirit  of  the  sun,  the 
spirits  of  stars  and  the  clouds  to  help  them.  These  are  good 
spirits.  Sedit' s  spirit  cannot  help  doctors  much.  They  call  it 
sometimes,  but  it  does  n't  do  much  ;  it  has  not  the  power.  Suku 
(dog)  is  very  powerful  and  bad.  If  Suku  wants  to  kill  a  man,  he 
does  it  quickly.  A  doctor  who  has  the  Suku  spirit  in  his  service  is 
great.  If  a  man  has  been  made  sick  by  Suku,  he  will  vomit  blood, 
or  bleed  from  his  nostrils  all  the  time.  The  Suku  spirit  is  a  good 
one  to  send  to  kill  people.  Chir  (the  sucker  fish)  is  an  evil  spirit 
too.  When  Chir  wants  to  kill  a  man,  it  makes  him  giddy  and 
crazy  right  away.  He  becomes  senseless  and  dies,  unless  some 
doctor  cures  him,  and  generally  doctors  can  do  nothing  against 
Chir.  The  Chir  sickness  is  the  worst  that  spirits  bring.  It  is 
called  chiruntowi,  sickness  from  the  sucker.  The  man  who  has  it 
dies ;  he  cannot  tell  where  he  is  troubled  ;  he  grows  dizzy  and 
senseless.  No  one  can  cure  him  unless  by  great  luck.  Something 
tried  by  some  doctor  may  save  him  — just  by  chance,  just  because 
it  happens  so.  Kele  is  also  an  evil  spirit.  He  has  a  song,  the 
same  which  his  two  daughters  sang  on  the  mountain  top  (see  the 
tale  "Kele  and  Sedit"),  and  which  Sedit  heard  far  away  in 
the  west.  This  is  a  poison  song,  and  draws  people  after  it.  Kele 
is  here  now,  suppose,  in  Cottonwood  or  in  Tehama,  and  sees  a 
man  up  at  Yreka.  Kele  sings,  and  the  song  goes  as  straight  as  a 
string  to  the  man.  It  draws  him  and  draws  him  ;  he  is  drawn  as 
water  is  when  people  pump  it.  The  man  must  follow  the  song  ; 
he  has  got  to  do  so,  he  cannot  help  himself,  he  is  sick  ;  his  sick 
ness  is  called  lubeluntowi  (sickness  from  lubelis).  The  man  will 


Notes 


515 


keep  going  and  going  and  going  ;  he  will  not  know  what  makes 
him  go.  Suppose  I  am  listening  to  Kele's  song.  I  go,  and  it  is 
the  song  that  draws  me.  I  hear  it ;  but  nobody  else  does.  The 
spirits  of  the  Kele  girls  drew  Sedit  to  them ;  he  could  n't  help 
himself,  he  couldn't  stop;  he  had  to  go,  and  he  never  went 
home  again  ;  he  had  to  stay  up  at  Kele's.  The  spirits  of  Chir  and 
Kele  always  make  people  crazy. 

Many  Wintu  women  lose  their  minds,  and  are  killed  by  Kele's 
sons.  Many  Wintu  men  have  been  lost  through  Kele's  daugh 
ters.  Suppose  I  am  out  here  in  the  wood,  I  see  a  woman  coming, 
a  nice  woman.  She  stops  and  talks  ;  I  talk  to  her.  If  I  have 
sense  in  me,  I  look  at  her  toes  to  see  if  she  is  one  of  those  Kele 
women.  If  she  is,  she  has  a  bunch  of  hair  on  the  tip  of  her  foot, 
and  if  I  see  it,  I  say  right  there,  "  You  are  a  Kele  !  "  At  these 
words  she  will  leave  me  and  run.  When  ten  feet  away,  she  will 
turn  to  a  mountain  wolf,  and  I  shall  see  that  Kele  running  away 
very  fast. 

Suppose  some  woman  is  out  in  the  woods.  She  is  thinking  of 
some  man  that  she  likes,  and  right  away  she  sees  the  very  man  she 
is  thinking  of.  He  is  coming  to  meet  her.  He  comes  up  and 
asks,  "  Where  are  you  going  ?  "  The  woman  is  glad  to  see  him. 
She  tells.  He  carries  her  to  the  mountain,  and  never  again  will 
that  woman  be  seen  by  her  friends  or  by  others.  It  was  one  of 
Kele's  sons  who  took  the  form  of  the  man  she  was  thinking  of,  so 
as  to  entice  her  away  and  destroy  her.  If  the  woman  has  sense  she 
will  look  down  at  the  foot  of  the  stranger,  see  the  tuft  of  hair,  and 
say,  "  You  are  Kele  ;  go  off."  He  turns  to  a  wolf  on  the  spot,  and 
runs  away  to  the  mountain.  All  Wintus  went  barefoot  in  old 
times,  and  this  tuft  could  be  seen,  if  a  person  had  sense  enough 
left  to  look  for  it.  As  every  one  wears  shoes  or  moccasins  now,  it 
might  not  be  easy  to  find  it.  But  to  this  day  the  Keles  lead  people 
astray.  All  the  Wintus  know  theme,  and  are  afraid. 

They  live  on  Wenempuidal,  a  high  mountain  near  the  left  bank 
of  the  Little  Sacramento.  Dekipuiwakut,  a  small  creek,  comes 
down  from  Kele's  Mountain  and  falls  into  the  Sacramento.  White 
men  call  it  Hazel  Creek.  The  Keles  live  at  the  head  of  this 
creek.  The  whole  mountain  is  their  sweat-house.  They  are  up 


5 1 6  Notes 

there  now,  and  almost  any  night  you  may  hear  them  howling  on 
the  mountain  when  the  evil  brothers  are  going  home. 

The  following  four  spirit  songs  are  from  my  Wintu  collection. 
Two  I  give  in  the  original,  with  literal  translation  ;  the  other  two, 
in  translation  only.  The  lightning  song,  by  referring  to  the  con 
nection  between  lightning  and  the  sucker,  which  has  one  of  the 
most  formidable  spirits,  enables  us  to  suspect  why  the  sucker  is  so 
much  feared  by  Wintus.  In  the  Olelbis  song,  the  great  one  above 
is  the  cloud-compeller,  as  in  classic  mythology.  The  tanning  is 
described  in  "  Olelbis."  In  the  Hau  song,  the  celesdal  Hau  is  de 
scribed  as  travelling  along  the  Milky  Way.  This  is  the  Wintu 
comment  on  the  text.  Many  readers  will  agree,  I  think,  that  the 
Polar  Star  song,  the  fourth,  is  composed  on  a  scale  truly  immense. 
The  lightning  song  sounds  wonderfully  like  an  extract  from  the 
Sanscrit,  "Rig  Veda." 

SONGS    OF    SPIRITS. 

1.  Walokin  tsawi,  Lightning's  Song. 

Minom  tdror  we'ril  chirchdkum  sdia 
Dune  we'rem  winwar  dun  bohe'mum. 

I  bear  the  sucker-torch  to  the  western  tree-ridge. 

Look  at  me  first  born  (and)  greatest. 

2.  Olelben  tsawi,  the  Song  of  Olelbis. 

Olel  bohema  ni  tsululi  kdhum  sfka  m. 
I  am  great  above.     I  tan  the  black  cloud  (there). 

3.  Song  of  Hau  (red  fox). 

"  On  the  stone  ridge  east  I  go. 

On  the  white  road  I,  Hau,  crouching  go. 
I,  Hau,  whistle  on  the  road  of  stars." 

4.  Song  of  Waida  Werris  (the  Polar  Star). 

"  The  circuit  of  earth  which  you  see, 

The  scattering  of  stars  in  the  sky  which  you  see, 
All  that  is  the  place  for  my  hair."1 

1  Hair  in  Indian  mythology,  as  in  other  mythologies,  is  the  equivalent  of  rays  of 
light  when  connected  with  the  sun  and  with  planet  luminaries. 


Notes  5 1 7 


THE   YANAS 

As  a  preface  to  the  few  myths  of  the  Yanas  which  have  survived, 
I  beg  to  offer  the  following  words  touching  this  ill-fated  people : 

Previous  to  August,  1864,  the  Yanas  numbered  about  three 
thousand,  as  I  have  been  informed  on  the  sound  authority  of  reli 
able  white  men.  Taking  the  names  and  population  of  villages 
given  me  by  surviving  Indians,  I  should  say  that  this  estimate  is 
not  too  large. 

During  the  second  half  of  August,  1864,  the  Yanas  were  massa 
cred,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  remnant. 

The  Indians  of  California,  and  especially  those  of  Sacramento 
Valley,  were  among  the  most  harmless  of  human  beings.  Instead 
of  being  dangerous  to  settlers,  they  worked  for  them  in  return 
for  fair  wages.  The  Yanas  were  distinguished  beyond  others  for 
readiness  to  earn  money.  White  men  occupied  in  tilling  land 
knew  their  value,  and  employed  them  every  season  in  haymaking 
and  harvesting. 

At  the  present  day  the  Wintus,  and  the  few  Yanas  that  are  left, 
go  down  the  valley  and  labor  during  the  season  in  hop-fields  and 
vineyards. 

Why  were  the  Yanas  killed  ? 

The  answer  is  as  follows :  Certain  Indians  lived,  or  rather 
lurked,  around  Mill  Creek,  in  wild  places  somewhat  east  of  Tehama 
and  north  of  Chico.  These  Mill  Creek  Indians  were  fugitives  ; 
outlaws  from  various  tribes,  among  others  from  the  Yanas.  To 
injure  the  latter,  they  went  to  the  Yana  country  about  the  middle 
of  August,  1 864,  and  killed  two  white  women,  Mrs.  Allen  and 
Mrs.  Jones.  Four  children  also  were  left  for  dead  by  them,  but 
the  children  recovered.  After  the  murders  the  Mill  Creeks  returned 
home  unnoticed,  carrying  various  plundered  articles  with  them. 

Two  parties  of  white  men  were  formed  at  once  to  avenge  the 
women  and  four  children.  Without  trying  in  any  way  to  learn 
who  the  guilty  were,  they  fell  upon  the  Yanas  immediately,  sparing 
neither  sex  nor  age.  They  had  resolved  to  exterminate  the  whole 


5i8 


Notes 


nation.  The  following  few  details  will  show  the  character  of  their 
work  :  — 

At  Millville,  twelve  miles  east  of  Redding,  white  men  seized 
two  Yana  girls  and  a  man.  These  they  shot  about  fifty  yards 
from  the  village  hotel.  At  another  place  they  came  to  the  house 
of  a  white  woman  who  had  a  Yana  girl,  seven  or  eight  years  of 
age.  They  seized  this  child,  in  spite  of  the  woman,  and  shot  her 
through  the  head.  "  We  must  kill  them,  big  and  little,"  said  the 
leader  ;  "nits  will  be  lice." 

A  few  miles  north  of  Millville  lived  a  Yana  girl  named  Eliza, 
industrious  and  much  liked  by  those  who  knew  her.  She  was 
working  for  a  farmer  at  the  time.  The  party  stopped  before  this 
house,  and  three  of  the  men  entered  it.  "  Eliza,  come  out,"  said 
one  of  them  ;  "  we  are  going  to  kill  you."  She  begged  for  her 
life.  To  the  spokesman,  who  had  worked  for  her  employer  some 
time  before,  she  said  :  "  Don't  kill  me  ;  when  you  were  here  I 
cooked  for  you,  I  washed  for  you,  I  was  kind  to  you  ;  I  never 
asked  pay  of  you  ;  don't  kill  me  now." 

Her  prayers  were  vain.  They  took  Eliza,  with  her  aunt  and 
uncle,  a  short  distance  from  the  house  and  shot  the  three.  My 
informant  counted  eleven  bullets  in  Eliza's  breast. 

After  this  murder  the  party  took  a  drink  and  started  ;  but  the 
leader,  in  killing  Eliza,  said,  "  I  don't  think  that  little  squaw  is 
dead  yet."  So  he  turned  back  and  smashed  in  her  skull  with  his 
musket.  The  man  who  counted  the  bullet  holes  in  her  bosom, 
himself  a  white  man,  saw  her  after  the  skull  was  broken.  He 
knew  the  girl  well,  and  gave  me  these  details. 

Another  party  went  to  a  farm  on  Little  Cow  Creek  where  they 
found  three  Yana  men  threshing  hayseed  in  a  barn.  The  farmer 
was  not  at  home.  They  killed  the  three  Indians,  and  went  to 
the  house.  The  three  wives  of  the  men  killed  in  the  barn  were 
there  and  began  to  scream.  The  farmer's  wife  hurried  out  with  a 
quilt,  threw  it  around  the  three  women,  and  stood  in  front  of  them, 
holding  the  ends  of  the  quilt.  "  If  you  kill  them  you  will  kill  me," 
said  she,  facing  the  party.  The  woman  was  undaunted,  and,  as 
it  happened,  was  big  with  child.  To  kill,  or  attempt  to  kill, 
under  those  conditions,  would  be  a  deed  too  ghastly  for  even  such 


Notes  519 

heroes ;  so  they  went  away,  swearing  that  they  would  kill  the 
"squaws"  later.  These  three  Indian  women  were  saved  and 
taken  beyond  the  reach  of  danger  by  two  white  men. 

And  so  the  "  avengers  "  of  Mrs.  Allen  and  Mrs.  Jones  con 
tinued.  At  one  place  they  killed  an  Indian  woman  and  her  infant, 
at  another  three  women.  In  the  town  of  Cottonwood  they  killed 
twenty  Yanas  of  both  sexes.  The  most  terrible  slaughter  in  any 
place  was  near  the  head  of  Oak  Run,  where  three  hundred  Yanas 
had  met  at  a  religious  dance.  These  were  attacked  in  force,  and 
not  a  soul  escaped.  The  slaughter  went  on  day  after  day  till  the 
entire  land  of  the  Yanas  was  cleared.  The  few  who  escaped  were 
those  who  happened  to  be  away  from  home,  outside  their  country, 
and  about  twelve  who  were  saved  by  Mr.  Oliver  and  Mr.  Dissel- 
horst,  both  of  Redding.  The  whole  number  of  surviving  Yanas 
of  pure  and  mixed  blood  was  not  far  from  fifty. 

Some  time  after  the  bloody  work  was  done  it  was  discovered 
that  the  Mill  Creek  outlaws  had  killed  Mrs.  Allen  and  Mrs.  Jones, 
and  that  the  Yanas  were  innocent.  The  Mill  Creeks  were  left 
unpunished. 

My  inquiries  as  to  how  civilized  men  could  commit  such  atro 
cities  found  the  following  answers  :  — 

In  1 864  there  was  a  large  floating  and  mining  population  in 
Northern  California,  which  "had  no  use  for  Indians,"  and  was 
ready  to  kill  them  on  slight  provocation.  In  distinction  to  these 
people  was  a  small  number  of  settlers  who  lived  among  the  Yanas 
in  friendship,  and  hired  them  to  work  on  land.  The  killing  was 
done  by  men  who  did  not  know  the  Yanas.  Those  settlers  who 
did  know  the  Yanas  were  overawed,  and  were  unable  to  save  them, 
except  secretly,  as  in  the  case  of  the  two  men  who  rescued  the 
three  women  on  Little  Cow  Creek  by  conveying  them  beyond 
danger.  Oliver  and  Disselhorst,  who  saved  twelve,  were  at  the 
edge  of  Redding,  where  support  was  possible.  At  first  the  rage 
of  the  killing  parties  was  boundless  ;  they  swore  that  white  women 
would  not  be  murdered  again  in  that  country,  and  that  not  an 
Indian  should  be  left  alive  in  it.  An  intense  feeling  of  indignation 
at  the  murder,  coupled  with  an  unspeakable  contempt  for  Indians, 
was  the  motive  in  the  breasts  of  most  of  the  white  men.  Had 


520 


Notes 


they  looked  on  the  Yanas  with  ordinary  feelings  of  justice,  they 
would  have  tried  to  find  the  guilty  instead  of  slaughtering  a  whole 
nation.  There  was  another  element  among  the  slayers  of  the  In 
dians,  —  a  vile  one,  an  element  which  strives  to  attach  itself  to 
every  movement,  good  or  bad  in  all  places  —  a  plundering  element. 
That  year  the  Yanas  had  worked  a  good  deal,  and  it  was  not  un 
common  for  single  persons  of  them  to  have  from  $40  to  $60.  One 
informant  told  me  that  a  man  showed  a  friend  of  his  $400  which 
he  had  taken  from  murdered  Indians.  Money  and  everything  of 
value  that  the  Yanas  had  was  snatched  up  by  these  robbers. 

Nearly  all  the  men  who  killed  the  Yanas  have  gone  out  of  the 
country  or  are  dead.  A  few  are  in  Northern  California  yet,  and 
the  children  of  some  of  the  dead  ones  are  living  there  now. 
Though  one's  indignation  at  the  deeds  of  1864  be  great,  there  is 
no  use  in  mentioning  names  at  this  hour.  All  that  is  left  is  to  do 
for  the  poor  remnant  of  an  interesting  people  that  which  we  have 
done  for  Indians  in  other  parts :  give  them  land  properly  surveyed 
and  the  means  to  begin  life  on  it. 


THE   WINNING   OF    HALAI    AUNA 

TH£  Yanas  were  fond  of  astronomical  myths,  or  myths  of  the 
upper  world.  The  morning  star  and  the  moon  appear  in  them 
frequently.  The  great  sweat-house  of  the  sun  is  the  dome  of 
heaven. 

The  name  of  the  mysterious  and  mighty  old  uncle,  Igupa  Topa, 
seems  to  me  to  be  derived  from  Iguna,  chief  sweat-house,  and  Tuina 
or  Toina,  the  sun.  Tuina  is  the  prevailing  pronunciation,  but 
Toina  is  used  also.  Igupa  is  the  regular  form  of  son  of  Iguna,  as 
is  Topa  of  Toina.  He  is  a  person  whose  strength  is  well  known 
to  the  sun,  who  has  evidently  a  clear  perception  of  how  dangerous 
a  person  he  is. 

The  shooting  of  Wakara  into  the  sky  is  a  curious  variant  of  the 
tree-bending  by  Tulchuherris  and  Sas  in  the  Wintu  myth. 


Notes  521 


THE    HAKAS   AND   THE   TENNAS 

THIS  myth  describes  a  deadly  feud  between  the  people  who  were 
turned  into  flint,  that  is,  fire,  presumably  lightning,  and  the  grizzlies 
or  cloud  people.  After  I  had  prevailed  on  him  to  give  me  the 
story,  the  narrator  told  it  with  unfeigned  delight.  His  sympathy 
with  the  old  woman  Tsuwalkai  was  great,  and  his  enthusiasm 
for  Tsawandi  Kamshupa,  who  rose  from  the  spittle  of  Tsawandi 
Kamshu,  evident  and  striking.  The  origin  of  Ilhataina  in  this 
myth  and  in  the  following  called  "Ilhataina,"  which  is  the 
usual  name  for  lightning,  strengthens  my  view  that  the  Wintu 
Tulchuherris,  a  name  which  is  merely  an  epithet,  meaning  "  dug 
up,"  is  the  same  person  as  Ilhataina  of  the  Yanas.  The  regular 
acknowledged  lightning  of  the  Wintus  is  called  Walokit,  who  is  a 
child  of  Wima  Loimis,  grizzly-bear  maiden,  and  the  sun. 


ILHATAINA 

IN  this  myth  lightning  is  "dug  up,"  as  in  the  preceding  one. 
Electricity  is  one  of  the  earth's  children. 

The  putting  on  of  Gowila's  skin  by  Ilhataina  is  one  of  the  cu 
rious  acts  frequent  in  Indian  mythology.  In  the  Aztec  worship 
of  Mexico,  in  Montezuma's  time,  the  sacrificing  priest  put  on  the 
skin  of  the  victim  as  far  as  the  waist. 

The  wish  of  Ilhataina  to  get  the  old  rabbit-skin  robe  is  worthy 
of  attention. 


HITCHINNA 

AMONG  the  Iroquois  the  cyclone  was  represented  as  a  great  head, 
the  name  of  which  in  Seneca  is  Dagwa  Noenyent.  This  head 
would  pass  through  a  forest  and  tear  up  the  greatest  trees  by  the 
roots. 


522  Notes 


The  method  used  by  the  deceitful  Metsi  to  rid  the  world  of 
Hitchinna  might  remind  one  of  the  way  of  cooking  oysters  at  the 
waterside  in  Virginia  near  the  places  where  they  are  taken. 


TIRUKALA 

I  HAVE  referred  to  Tirukala  in  the  Wintu  myth  "  Hawt."  The 
battle  described  in  this  myth  and  the  child  which  rises  from  the 
spittle  of  Burnt  Face  and  reaches  maturity  in  one  day,  are  very 
striking. 

Tirukala  gives  the  active,  the  working  side  of  water  as  a  per 
sonage,  the  widener  of  valleys,  the  pusher  apart  of  mountains,  the 
maker  of  all  streams  and  rivers.  Tirukala  works  without  ceasing, 
he  sings  as  he  labors,  and  never  eats  food  of  any  kind. 

Hawt  (in  the  Wintu  myth)  gives  the  artistic,  the  poetic  side 
of  the  same  person,  whose  voice  is  that  of  Niagara  and  the  raging 
ocean  at  its  loudest,  that  of  the  tiniest  rivulet  or  of  the  raindrop  at 
its  gentlest. 


SUKONIA'S  WIVES   AND   THE    ICHPUL 
SISTERS 

IT  is  noteworthy  that  in  Indian  myths  whenever  two  sisters  are 
sent  somewhere,  as  in  the  present  case,  and  warned  by  father  or 
mother  against  some  deceiver  who  is  likely  to  meet  them  on  the 
way,  the  elder  sister  is  generally  ready  to  become  a  victim,  the 
younger  is  the  wise  and  obedient  one,  as  in  this  myth. 

We  have  again  a  case  of  putting  on  the  skin  of  a  slain  person  to 
become  like  him  or  her. 

The  test  of  bringing  water  was  perfect,  since  no  one  who  was 
not  of  the  household  could  know  where  it  was. 


Notes  523 


THE    FINDING   OF    FIRE 

IN  this,  as  in  all  Indian  myths  of  the  bringing  of  fire,  it  is  pro 
cured  by  stealing.  The  pursuit  in  all  cases  is  most  strenuous. 

In  one  myth  relays  are  posted  along  the  road  at  short  intervals  ; 
these  deliver  the  fire  to  one  another  in  great  haste.  At  last  the 
pursuers  are  very  near,  when  the  fire  is  given  to  him  who  after 
ward  becomes  the  turtle ;  he  places  the  treasure  in  his  mouth  and 
rolls  into  a  deep  river,  where  he  hides  till  the  baffled  masters  of 
fire  turn  homeward  sorrowing. 


HAIKA   KAINA 

HERE  we  find  another  myth  of  a  flint  people. 

In  the  Hakas  and  Tennas  we  have  a  struggle  between  the 
lightning  and  the  clouds.  In  Haka  Kaina  the  myth  represents  the 
advance  of  spring  to  colder  regions.  The  swan-maidens  go  north 
with  the  early  lightning  of  the  year.  Hence  Haka  Kaina,  the 
war  chief  of  Wahkalu,  the  great  residence  of  Jupka,  is-  represented 
as  stealing  them.  In  another  myth,  of  which,  unfortunately,  I  have 
only  a  fragment,  these  same  swan-maidens  are  borne  away  north  by 
Haka  Kaina  with  great  pomp  and  circumstance.  The  chief  is  at 
tended  by  an  immense  escort,  in  which  all  the  personages  are  phe 
nomena  of  springtime.  His  regular  force,  his  trusty  warriors  do 
not  migrate  ;  they  stay  all  the  year  at  Wahkalu,  unless  when  ab 
sent  on  some  expedition.  The  most  characteristic  person  in  the 
escort  is  a  species  of  poplar-tree,  the  leaves  of  which  tremble  like 
those  of  an  aspen.  This  hero  dances  all  the  time  from  his  point 
of  starting  in  the  south  till  he  reaches  Mount  Shasta.  This  gives 
a  fine  picture  of  that  kind  of  tree  putting  forth  leaves  which  quiver 
with  gladness  at  the  approach  of  the  swan-maidens. 

The  marshalling  by  Haka  Kaina  of  forces  so  numerous  that  they 
surround  the  immense  base  of  Mount  Shasta,  the  enormous  dust 


524 


Notes 


which  they  raise,  dust  which  goes  up  to  the  sun,  their  death  by  fire 
at  the  hands  of  the  Mini  Aunas,  their  resurrection  and  return  home 
with  the  swan-maidens  and  all  the  spoils  of  Hwipajusi's  people,  are 
conceived  on  a  scale  truly  grand. 


TITINDI  MAUPA   AND    PAIOWA  THE 
YOUNGEST  DAUGHTER   OF  WAKARA 

PAIOWA  is  the  evening  star.  Wakara's  most  interesting  daughters 
are  always  Halaia,  or  Halai  Auna,  and  Paiowa.  The  first  is  the 
morning,  the  second  the  evening  star. 

Halaia' s  sister,  Pahnino,  in  this  myth  became  afterward  a  shell, x 
or  rather  a  creature  which  lives  in  a  shell,  as  did  also  her  mother. 
I  do  not  know  which  kind  of  shell  Pahnino  is ;  it  has  bright  colors. 

The  increase  and  decrease  of  food,  the  magic  power  of  weapons, 
the  jealousy  and  hostility  of  the  husbands  of  other  sisters,  are  usual 
in  Yana  myths  of  this  kind. 


THE   TWO    SISTERS    HAKA    LASI    AND 
TSORE   JOWA 

LOVE  of  this  sort,  of  a  sister  for  a  brother,  is  found  in  European 
lore  occasionally,  and  is,  of  course,  a  survival  from  a  very  remote 
past.  In  this  myth  it  is  the  love  of  one  of  the  first  people,  a 
female,  afterward  turned  into  a  loon,  for  her  brother,  who  was 
afterward  turned  into  a  wildcat. 

Bringing  to  life  is  one  of  the  most  familiar  performances  in 
American  mythology  as  well  as  in  Keltic.  In  Yana  it  is  done 
by  kicking  or  turning  over  a  corpse  with  the  foot ;  by  boiling  in 
water,  sometimes  one  hair,  sometimes  the  heart ;  or  by  striking  the 
corpse  with  a  twig  of  the  red  rosebush.  In  Keltic  it  is  most 
frequently  done  by.  the  stroke  of  a  Druidic  or  magic  switch,  which 
resembles  the  Yana  method  with  the  rose  twig.  The  red  rose  has 


Notes  525 

significance,  no  doubt.    In  Keltic  we  are  not  told  the  kind  of  wood 
from  which  the  Druidic  switch  was  taken. 

In  Seneca  myths  raising  from  the  dead  was  very  impressive. 
Sometimes  the  dry,  fleshless  bones  of  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  the 
first  people  were  found  lying  in  a  heap  or  close  together.  The 
hero,  another  of  the  first  people,  pushes  a  hickory-tree  as  if  to 
throw  it  on  them,  crying  at  the  same  time,  "  Rise  up !  or  the 
tree  will  fall  on  you."  That  moment  all  the  dry  bones  sprang  up, 
took  on  flesh,,  and  assumed  their  old  forms  immediately.  Indian 
humor  creeps  out  sometimes  by  giving  us  two  lame  people  of  the 
uprisen  company.  In  the  hurry  and  rush,  while  the  dry  bones 
are  arranging  themselves,  two  legs  get  astray  ;  two  personages  have 
each  one  leg  which  is  his  own  and  one  which  belongs  to  his 
neighbor. 


JUIWAIYU 

THIS  myth  has  many  and  very  valuable  elements,  — the  impor 
tance  of  dreams,  the  stopping  or  slackening  the  course  of  the  sun, 
the  music  of  Juiwaiyu  as  he  moves,  the  choice  of  the  right  road, 
the  storm  of  vermin,  Jupka  as  monitor  and  helper,  the  summons  to 
send  Damhauja's  daughters  to  meet  him,  the  inexhaustible  venison 
no  larger  than  a  walnut,  Juiwaiyu's  marvellous  music  on  the  moun 
tain,  the  bringing  home  of  countless  deer  in  the  body  of  a  fawn, 
the  race  with  Damhauja's  sons-in-law,  the  meeting  with  the  poison 
spider,  the  rattlesnake  and  the  grizzly  bear,  the  storm,  the  drown 
ing  of  Damhauja  and  his  resurrection,  —  make  this  one  of  the 
richest  of  Yana  tales. 

Playing  with  two  bones  was  very  much  like  playing  ball.  Near 
both  ends  of  the  field  barriers  were  set  up,  and  each  side  had  to 
put  the  bones  past  the  barrier  toward  which  they  faced. 

The  starting-point  was  in  the  middle  of  the  field,  at  an  equal 
distance  from  both  barriers.  At  the  opening  of  the  game  all  the 
players  gathered  at  this  middle  point ;  the  bones  were  thrown  up, 
and  all  struggled  for  them.  Whoever  caught  the  bones  on  his 
stick  either  hurled  them  toward  the  barrier  beyond  which  he 


526  Notes 


wished  to  put  them,  or  he  ran  toward  it,  bearing  them  on  the 
point  of  his  stick.  If  there  were  swifter  runners  than  he,  they 
took  the  bones  from  him,  or  if  he  hurled  them  ahead,  they  ran  and 
threw  them  or  carried  them  toward  one  barrier  or  another.  The 
bones  were  fastened  together  by  a  string  some  inches  long. 

In  Yana  tales,  Damhauja,  the  moon  during  the  last  quarter, 
plays  or  rather  played,  a  great  part.  I  say  played,  since,  un 
fortunately,  we  have  but  a  fragment  of  Yana  lore  left  after  the 
events  of  1864.  Damhauja's  sons-in-law  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  in  this  tale,  were  various  Mapchemaina  people,  —  that  is, 
beings  who  somewhat  later  became  beasts,  birds,  plants,  rocks,  and 
insects  on  earth.  All  the  stars  were  his  children.  His  daughters, 
stars,  were  married  to  Mapchemaina  people,  except  the  two  of 
whom  Juiwaiyu  had  dreamed.  His  sons,  stars  also,  lived  near 
him,  and  were  at  enmity  with  his  sons-in-law. 


THE    FLIGHT    OF    TSANUNEWA   AND 
DEFEAT    OF    HEHKU 

IT  is  not  so  easy  to  decide  who  Hehku  is.  Her  most  usual,  if 
not  her  regular  and  normal,  form  is  that  of  a  horned  serpent ;  but 
she  changes  herself  into  various  forms.  When  angry,  or  rather 
when  raging,  she  becomes  a  Putokya,  —  that  is,  a  skull  person,  like 
Hitchinna.  These  Putokyas  seem  to  be  the  cyclone  or  tremendous 
wind  which  moves  in  a  narrow  path  and  makes  a  clean  sweep  of 
everything. 

The  gambling  scene  in  Jupka's  sweat-house  is  good.  Hehku 
has  easy  work  till  she  meets  the  master,  who  to  his  incomparable 
power  adds  deceit. 

The  game,  connected  here  with  Jupka's  sweat-house,  is  played 
by  two  persons  sitting  opposite  each  other.  One  of  these  holds  a 
small  "Jupaiauna"  bone  or  stick  in  one  of  his  closed  hands,  and 
the  other  guesses  which  hand  it  is  in.  The  process  of  playing  is 
as  follows  :  — 


Notes  527 

Each  person  has  ten  little  sticks  or  counters  at  the  opening  of 
the  game.  One  holds  the  "Jupaiauna,"  and  begins  action  by 
placing  his  hands  behind  his  back  and  deciding  in  which  hand 
to  hold  the  bone  for  that  time ;  next,  he  closes  his  hands  firmly, 
and  brings  them  out  before  his  breast.  He  holds  them  back  down 
ward,  the  little  finger  of  each  hand  touching  that  of  the  other. 
The  person  sitting  opposite  guesses  where  the  bone  is ;  the  other 
opens  both  hands  then,  and  shows  his  palms.  If  this  bone  is  in 
the  hand  indicated  by  the  guesser,  he  wins ;  if  not,  he  loses.  A 
game  is  finished  when  one  side  holds  the  twenty  counters ;  that  is, 
when  one  side  has  won  the  ten  little  sticks  given  to  the  other  at  the 
opening  of  the  game. 

As  Hehku  sat  with  her  back  to  the  west,  her  right  hand  was 
south  and  her  left  north.  When  her  opponent  guessed  south,  if 
the  bone  was  in  her  right  hand  she  sang  it  into  her  left  (the  north), 
—  literally,  enchanted  it  north.  If  the  bone  was  in  her  left  hand, 
she  let  it  stay  there,  and  thus  she  won  in  every  case. 

Jupka,  by  limiting  the  game  to  one  guess,  and  by  his  quibble  of 
words,  proved  himself  a  keener  trickster  than  Hehku,  whose  pre 
dicament  is  described  fairly  well  by  the  Russian  saying,  "  Kosa 
nashla  na  kamen,"  the  scythe  met  a  stone  ;  or  the  biter  bitten,  as 
we  might  say. 


THE    FIRST   BATTLE    IN   THE  WORLD 
AND  THE  MAKING  OF  THE  YANAS 

THE  beginning  of  this  myth  is  somewhat  similar  to  that  of 
"  Olelbis."  A  messenger  is  sent  to  invite  the  Master  of  Flint  to 
come  and  show  the  Mapchemaina,  or  first  people,  how  to  kill  deer, 
Kaltsauna,  the  owner  of  flint,  is  like  Katkatchila  of  the  Wintus;  he 
is  transformed  later  into  a  lizard.  In  character  he  is  different,  being 
old  and  testy  though  liberal,  while  Katkatchila  is  affable,  but  won 
derfully  tenacious  of  his  weapon,  and  prizing  it  so  highly  that 
when  the  flint  is  stolen  he  does  not  hesitate  to  set  the  whole  world 
on  fire. 


Notes 


Kaltsauna  put  the  various  kinds  of  flint  in  places  where  they  are 
found  to  this  day,  and  taught  the  first  people  how  to  make  arrow 
points. 

These  hunts  of  the  first  people  or  gods  are,  for  the  Yanas,  the 
great  prototypes  of  hunting.  To  this  day  all  sorts  of  game  are 
under  the  control  of  certain  spirits  of  the  first  people,  whose  favor 
is  essential  to  success  in  hunting. 

The  story  of  Howichinaipa' s  change  into  a  little  bird  gives  a 
good  case  of  forced  metamorphosis,  and  also  a  good  picture  of  the 
stern  spirit  of  Indian  vengeance  inherited  from  the  first  people. 

Vengeance  is  a  sacred  duty  which  they  were  not  free  to  neglect 
under  any  consideration.  "  Vengeance  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord, 
and  I  will  have  it." 

Machperkami,  the  tiny  dog  in  the  hair  of  Tuina  (the  sun),  is 
an  exact  substitute  for  Winishuyat  of  the  Wintus. 

The  descent  of  Tuina  to  the  lower  side  of  the  earth,  his  night 
journey  from  west  to  east  on  the  road  made  by  Jupka,  is  described 
with  clear  and  precise  brevity.  There  is  no  doubt  as  to  the  nature 
of  the  water  grizzlies  who  rise  out  of  the  ocean  and  go  to  the 
mountains  at  the  approach  of  Tuina. 

The  account  of  the  creation  of  the  Yanas  is  as  concise  as  possible, 
and  at  the  same  time  complete. 


WINTU   PLACES    MENTIONED   IN   THE   MYTHS 

Bohema  Mem Great  water,  Sacramento  River. 

BohSm  Bull Great  mountain,  Bald  Mountain. 

Bohem  Puyuk Great  peak,  Mount  Shasta. 

Bohem  Tehil Great  Tehil. 

Bulibok  Puyuk Bulibok  peak. 

Buli  Puiwakat Eastern  mountain  slope. 

Dokos  Hlei  Puriton. 

Dau  Paki  Olel Upper  side  of  the  dam,  above  the 

dam. 

Elitsarauton Root  flat. 

El  Hakam In  the  elbow. 

Halat  Pom Grapevine  land. 

Han  Buli Fox  mountain. 

Hm  Pom Owl  land,  now  Slate  Creek. 

Hllhll  Puihlut  Ton  ....  Acorn  eastern  sweat-house  place. 

Kahi  Buli Wind  mountain. 

Kaisansi  Haraston     ....  The  road  place  of  Kaisus. 

Kawiken Down  in  Kawi. 

Keri  Bull Acorn  mountain. 

Kilitcepin  Kenharas       .      .      .  Arrow  straightened s  down-road. 

Kinwinis  Pom Looking  down  land. 

Lasan  Holok Spider's  house  (or  den). 

Lorus  Pom Sandstone  land. 

Miol  Tapa Tree  on  the  island. 

Memnom  Kalai Southern  water  divide. 

Nomken  Kobalus  Waimemton  Northern  shell  water  place. 

Nomlopi Southern  Lopi. 

Nophlut Deer's  sweat-house. 

Norken  Mem Water    down   south,   now  Little 

Sacramento. 

N6rpat  Kodiheril     ....  Kodi  village  stand  southward. 

Norpuiken Down  southeast. 

34 


530     Wintu  Places  mentioned  in  the  Myths 

Norwan  Buli Norwan  mountain. 

Norwanbulihlut Norwan  mountain  sweat-house. 

Norwfrite Seen  in  the  south. 

Olpuhlchlton Blowing  upward,    /.  e.    wishing, 

place. 

Pantl  Tsarau Upper  sand  flat,  now  Fall  River. 

Pas  Puisono Nose    (promontory)    sticking  out 

eastward,  now  Redding. 

Penel  Kente. 

Pokaitln  Mem Woman's  talk  water. 

Pom  Wai  Hudi  Pom     .      .      .     Land  in  the  north,  rumbling  land. 

Puidal  Pom Land  far  east. 

Puidal  Winnem Winnem  far  east. 

Pui  Mem Eastern  water,  now  Pit  River. 

Puitiel  Ton In  the  eastern  side  (region)  place. 

Pui  Toror Eastern  ridge. 

Saskewil Sas's  dwelling. 

Sonomyai At  the  stones. 

Sawal  Pom The  bathing-place  land. 

Sudi  Sawal The  Sudi  bathing-place. 

Tayam  Norel Waiting  in  the  south,  now  Trin 
ity  Centre. 

Tcanahl  Puyuk White  peak. 

Tede  Puyuk Red  peak. 

Tehi  Buli Tehi  mountain. 

Tidok  Waisono Ant  northern  nose  (nose-promon 
tory). 

Toriham  Pui  Toror  ....      Eastern  crane  place. 

Tokuston Rock  ridge  place. 

Tsarau  Heril Sandflat  village,  now  Stillwater. 

Tslk  Tepji White  oak  whirling-place. 

Waiken  Pom  Pui  Humok  Pom     The  land  down  north,  the  eastern 

silent  land. 

Waihola  Puyuk  .....      Northern  pipe  place. 

Waikidi  Pom       .....     Northern  Kidi  land. 

i  Mem Middle    water,     now    MacCloud 

River. 


YANA   PLACES    MENTIONED   IN   THE   MYTHS 

Chupfskoto Red  rocks. 

Daha Great  water,  Sacramento  River. 

Hakachimatu Blue  and  white  flint  place,  Pole 
cat  Spring. 

Hakamatu Flint  place,  Buzzard's  Roost. 

Hwitalmauna Whistling-place,  Little  Flat. 

Iwiljami Montgomery  creek. 

Jamahdi 

Jidjilpa Cedar  creek. 

Jigulmatu Round  place,  Round  Mountain. 

Juka  Mapti. 

Kamshumatu Clover  place. 

Ketmatu Poison  place. 

Kurulsa  Mauna. 

Motiri  Mauna. 

Oaimatu A  hollow  mountain  northeast  of 

Round  Mountain. 

Pawi Clover  creek. 

Pulshu  Aina. 

Wahkalu Mount  Shasta. 

Wahkanopa Lassen's  Butte. 

Wajami. 

Wakaruwa Wakara's  (moon's)  dwelling. 

Wamarawi A  round  mountain  at  Ball  Creek. 

Wewauna Round  place. 


VALUE   OF   LETTERS    IN    THE    LIST    OF    PLACES 

AND    IN   THE    NAMES    OF    PERSONS 
THROUGHOUT  THE   VOLUME 

A  long  —  a  in  hate  I  short  =  i     in  bit 

A  short  =  o  "  not  O  long    =  o    "  note 

Ai  =  i  "  bite  O  short  =  o    "  not 

Au  =  ow  "  now  U  long    =00"   boot 

E  long  nz  ai  "  bait  U  short  =  u    "  bull 

E  short  =  e  "  bet  J  =  our  J 

I  long  =  ee  "  beet  H  =  German  ch 

All  other  consonants  have  the  same  value  as  ours. 

All  short  vowels  are  marked  with  w  ;  the  long  are  unmarked. 

When  the  Indian  meaning  of  names  is  known,  I  have  given  it 
before  the  present  name  of  the  place  given  by  white  men.  When 
the  name  given  by  white  men  stands  alone,  it  indicates  that  the 
Indian  meaning  is  uncertain  or  unknown. 

Names  accented  on  the  penult  have  no  accents  printed  on  them ; 
all  others  have  printed  accents. 


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